Massive Coral Reef Found in SE Atlantic
Surprise Find by WHOI Photo by WHOI Underwater Discovery Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute scientists have discovered a massive cold water coral reef in the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern US. The scientists believe it's been there for thousands of years. They discovered it last week. Submersible Alvin Spots a Thriving Ecosystem Using their submersible Alvin that's deployed by the research vessel Atlantis, they collected samples of the coral. The reef is massive. It's 85 miles long and at a depth of 1/2 mile. It's about 160 miles off of Charleston, SC. Cameras onboard Alvin captured the sight of the dense, cold water coral reef. WHOI scientists say it's a thriving underwater ecosystem. Mountains of Coral According to the scientists, the site is covered with mountains of living coral. It's growing on top of dead coral that they believe dates back thousands of years. They found large amounts of a coral called Lophelia pentusa, a whitish,