The source: UNESCO
Diving researchers off the coast of Tahiti, the largest island of French Polynesia, have discovered a giant rose-shaped coral reef. The unnamed reef is nearly two miles long and about 100 to 200 feet across. Located in the “twilight zone”, 100 to 215 feet below the surface, it is unusually deep for a tropical reef, which may explain its “pristine” status – it seems not affected by climate change nor damaged by human activities.
The reef was first discovered last November by divers from the Ocean 1 seabed exploration project. “It was magical to witness the magnificent, huge pink corals that stretch to the bottom of the ocean. level visible to the naked eye,” said Alexis Rosenfeld, an underwater photographer. founder 1 Ocean project, co-run by UNESCO. “It’s like a work of art.”
Team 1 Ocean spent approximately 200 hours researching the reef, including photographing, measuring and sampling the coral. Coral reefs are mainly made up of Pachyseris speciosaa disc-shaped coral that forms rosette colonies that can grow up to 6.5 feet wide.
Laetitia Hedouin, a coral expert at the French National Center for Scientific Research who is involved in the project, hopes the study can help experts understand the role corals play more deeply in the ocean ecosystem. positive. “The discovery of this reef in pristine condition is good news and could inspire future conservation,” said Hedouin. More dives are planned in the coming months.
