Rare coral reef discovered near Tahiti is ‘like a work of art’, says diver

Early indications suggest that its extent has protected it from bleaching caused by planetary warming.

“It was magical to witnesser giant, beauteous roseate corals which agelong for arsenic acold arsenic the oculus tin see. It was similar a enactment of art,” said Alexis Rosenfeld, French lensman and laminitis of the #1Ocean campaign, who led the diving mission.

Buried treasure

The reef find is highly antithetic due to the fact that of its heavy location, arsenic the immense bulk of the world’s known coral reefs lone descend to astir 25 metres.

The rose-like corals measurement up to 2 metres successful diameter and the reef itself is betwixt 30 metres and 65 metres wide.

“This find suggests that determination are galore much ample reefs retired there, astatine depths of much than 30 metres, successful what is known arsenic the ocean’s ‘twilight zone’, which we simply bash not cognize about,” said UNESCO, the UN scientific, acquisition and taste organisation.

Hailing the “incredible work” of scientists who suspected that determination mightiness beryllium a spectacular coral reef disconnected the seashore of Tahiti, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay noted that lone 20 per cent of the full seabed has been mapped. 

“We cognize the aboveground of the satellite amended than the heavy ocean,” she said. “This singular find successful Tahiti demonstrates the unthinkable enactment of scientists who, with the enactment of UNESCO, further the grade of our cognition astir what lies beneath.”

Leap into the deep

The expedition which made the find was portion of UNESCO’s water mapping initiative.

Finding coral reefs of this size is important due to the fact that they are an important nutrient root for different organisms and arsenic specified tin assistance probe astir biodiversity.

Organisms that unrecorded connected reefs tin besides beryllium important for medicinal research, portion from the constituent of presumption of sustainability, reefs tin supply extortion from coastal erosion and adjacent tsunamis.

“French Polynesia suffered a important bleaching lawsuit backmost successful 2019, nevertheless this reef does not look to person been importantly affected,” said Dr. Laetitia Hedouin from France’s National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS) and the biology probe assemblage CRIOBE, who was contiguous connected the mission.

© Alexis Rosenfeld

One of the largest coral reefs successful the satellite disconnected the seashore of Tahiti, French Polynesia.

‘Pristine condition’

“The find of this reef successful specified a pristine information is bully quality and tin animate aboriginal conservation. We deliberation that deeper reefs whitethorn beryllium amended protected from planetary warming.”

Until present precise fewer scientists person been capable to locate, analyse and survey coral reefs astatine depths of much than 30 metres. However, advances successful exertion person meant that longer dives astatine these depths are present possible.

In full the squad carried retired dives totalling astir 200 hours to survey the reef, and were capable to witnesser the coral spawning. Further dives are planned successful the coming months to proceed investigations astir the reef.

Action for the ocean

UNESCO is the UN bureau successful complaint of water research. Its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, founded successful 1960, which involves 150 countries, coordinates planetary programmes specified arsenic water mapping and a tsunami alert system, on with galore technological probe projects.

The bureau is besides the guardian of unsocial water places, done 232 marine biosphere reserves and 50 marine World Heritage sites of Outstanding Universal Value.

UNESCO leads the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, from 2021 to 2030, which this twelvemonth involves respective large planetary summits to amplify planetary practice and action.