DEEP
SEA CORALS - ENVIRONMENT
News:
Largest deep-sea coral
reef to date is mapped by scientists off the US Atlantic coast
What's
in the news?
●
For the first time, scientists have
succeeded in mapping the largest deep-sea coral reef in the world, which runs
hundreds of miles off the Atlantic coast of the United States.
Key
takeaways:
●
According to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this massive
6.4-million-acre reef is bigger than the state of Vermont.
●
It is evident that larger deep-sea reefs
will be discovered in the future since only about 75% of the world’s ocean
floor has been mapped in high-resolution.
●
Only 50% of US offshore waters have been
mapped.
●
Both deep-sea coral reefs and tropical
reefs are at risk from oil and gas extraction and climate change.
About
the reef:
●
The
reef extends for about 310 miles (499 KM) from Florida to South Carolina and at some points reaches 68 miles (109
kilometers) wide.
●
The
total area is nearly three times the size of Yellowstone National Park.
●
The reef was found at depths ranging from
655 feet to 3,280 feet (200 meters to 1,000 meters), where sunlight doesn’t
penetrate and waters are an average of 39 degrees Fahrenheit.
●
Scientists nicknamed the largest area of
the reef “Million Mounds.”
●
It is made up mostly of stony corals.
Deep
Sea corals:
●
They
are found in all oceans but are most common in deep water habitats of
tropical and subtropical seas.
Habitat:
●
They can be found growing both in shallow
waters and down to depths of over 26,000 feet (8,000 metres) and some
individual corals can live for over 4,000 years.
●
They are located in deep oceans so they do
not require light for their growth.
Features:
●
Unlike reef-building corals in the
shallower waters above, deep sea corals
lack symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) in their tissues.
●
Unlike colourful, shallow-water corals
that rely on the sun and photosynthesis for energy, deep sea corals are filter feeders and eat tiny zooplankton
that are abundant in deep waters.
●
Many of these corals are branched and look
like feathers, fans or bushes, while others are straight like a whip.
●
Deep sea coral reproduces both sexually and asexually throughout its lifetime.
Significance:
●
They can act as an important habitat where
fish and invertebrates feed and hide from predators in what is otherwise a
mostly barren sea floor.
Concerns:
●
Deep sea corals have been declining in
numbers and are expected to continue declining due to the effects of poaching, ocean acidification and climate
change.