Writer - Philipp Lux The mysterious "Twilight" coral reef was found by a group of divers near the coast of Tahiti. The coral structure was found by a mapping expedition alongside of the island. The Team of divers were swimming at 30 meters depth when they stumbled upon the acres of giant, pristine, rose-shaped corals blossoming at the Twilight zone. The Twilight zone got its nickname for its deep depth, just at the point of the ocean where light still shines. The Reef is a wonder to most marine scientists as these rare corals are in pristine condition when at the depth of 30-70 m depth.
Most coral reefs that are present today are being harmed by the heat crisis and waste from humans. Scientist predicts that 70 - 90 % of all corals reefs will be eradicated in the next 20 years due to coral bleaching. Therefore, the marine biologists want to keep this amazing find in the most pristine condition for better marine structure and a hope for further coral growth. With only 25% of the ocean map ranging from 30 to 60 m, it was quite puzzling to find a coral reef that stretched to such a wide depth. Most coral structure only grow to the depth of 30 meters, as there it has the optimal current and sunlight for the best growth. This twilight coral structure just has enough sunlight to be able to continue growing. "We think that deeper reefs may be better protected from global warming," said Laetitia Hédouin, a marine biologist with the French National Centre of Scientific Research and the environmental research centre. The Coral reef will continue to thrive if no harm is done to it. The hope is to find more of these exceptional reefs at 30-70 meter depth, so there is some hope to fight against the coral destruction. For more information: CNN article | Rare Coral Reef : https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/19/world/coral-reef-tahiti-twilight-zone-climate-scn/index.html
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThe OMG Newsletter is run by the members of the service group. Topics are taken from the whole world by our researchers and formed into concise articles of our own. We invite experts to bring facts into our educational newsletter, and special contributions of students to showcase their ocean themed comic strip, so that it can be enjoyed by various age groups. Archives
January 2022
Categories
All
|