Scientists at CNRS-CRIOBE have discovered giant roses in good shape and in good health at a depth of more than 30 meters off the coast of Tahiti.
“It is one of the largest coral reefs in the world at a depth of more than 30 meters,” UNESCO said in a statement, supporting the scientific work. “The beautiful condition of the rose-shaped corals and the area they cover make this a very unusual discovery,” says UNESCO.
According to UNESCO, the rocks are three kilometers long, 30 to 65 meters wide and 35 to 70 meters deep. Some giant corals are about two meters in diameter.
A little explored area
“It simply came to our notice then. We know the area between zero and 30 meters very well, ”explains Laetitia Hedouin, a marine biologist and coral expert at the French CNRS Research Center and CRIOBE’s Environmental Research Institute.
“These corals do not show signs of stress or disease,” he continues, while coral reefs near the surface in French Polynesia experienced a bleaching episode in 2019. Starfish also devour and destroy coral reefs.
The beginning of a long project
The diving trip took place in November 2021, thanks to specific diving equipment. “The team spent a total of 200 hours diving to explore the rocks and was able to see the coral’s laying eggs,” UNESCO said.
Temperature sensors are placed in the area. “We are at the beginning of an observation project, and we hope it will last a long time,” to better understand why this coral is not affected by climate change and what its demographic dynamics are.
This finding also raises the question of “taking into account these deeper zones in the development of marine protected areas,” Leticia Hedouin emphasizes.
The level of knowledge of the oceans is still low, only 20% of the planet’s oceans […] Mapped ”, UNESCO insists.
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