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The world ’s largest deep - ocean coral Witwatersrand , which span an sphere or so the sizing of Vermont , has been uncovered " right on the doorstep " of the southeasterly U.S. coastline , new seafloor mathematical function reveal . The dark - dwelling , ghostly corals likely stomach a wide variety of marine creatures that we did n’t experience were there , researchers say .
In a new study , published Jan. 12 in the journalGeomatics , scientists collated data from 31 multibeam sonar mapping survey and 23 submersible dives to establish a map of the Blake Plateau — a massive sloping ledge located around 100 mile ( 160 kilometers ) off the U.S. coastline between North Carolina and Florida .
The newly mapped deep-sea corals span an area around the same size as Vermont.
The novel single-valued function uncover thousands of previously unknown " pitcher " of deep - ocean corals , also jazz as cold - water precious coral , spread out almost continuously across an area overcompensate 6.4 million acres ( 2.6 million hectare ) between 1,640 to 3,280 foot ( 500 to 1,000 meter ) beneath the airfoil . The highest abundance of corals was located in an area the research worker dubbed " Million Mounds , " which is around 158 Swedish mile ( 254 kilometre ) long and 26 miles ( 42 klick ) wide .
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The extremely complex web of corals is " the largest thick - sea coral reef habitat discover to date , " researcher wrote in astatement .
The coral mounds are clearly visible in new seafloor maps.
Marine scientists have known that the Blake Plateau harbors deep - ocean corals since the 1960s . But until now , they miss the technology and funding required to properly assess how abundant they are , study lead authorDerek Sowers , an oceanographer at the University of New Hampshire and mapping operations manager for the non - profit organization Ocean Exploration Trust , told Live Science in an e-mail .
" We knew there would be many coral hummock to map here , " Sowers enjoin . But it was " telling and surprising " to expose just how many of the mounds there really were , he supply .
The precious coral expanse lies directly beneath theGulf Stream — a deep , nutrient - rich flow of warm weewee that runs northwards along the eastern U.S. sea-coast . The researchers believe this subsurface expressway likely provide the coral with all the nutrient they demand to thrive in such large concentrations .
A wide variety of marine creatures were found living among the newly mapped corals.
It ’s possible there could be even larger deep - ocean red coral Reef waiting to be found beneath other similar ocean currents across the world , Sowers said .
Related : What part of the sea have we map ?
recondite - ocean coral reef are very different from tropicalcoral Rand . They inhabit in waters that can reach as cold as 39 degrees Fahrenheit ( 4 degrees Anders Celsius ) and canlive for 1000 of years .
Unlike tropic reefs , the deep - ocean random variable are mainly white because the cold water supply corals do not harbor the same colorful symbiotic algae that give their warm - water supply counterparts vibrant hues and provide them with vigor viaphotosynthesis . As a solution , they look very similar to tropical Reef that have experiencedcoral bleaching — a disease where heat - accent corals expel their symbiotic algae and die off .
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The newly discovered reefs are made preponderantly of one species of red coral , Desmophyllum pertusum(formerly known asLophelia pertusa ) , with a small mix of other coral from the generaEnallopsammiaandMadrepora . These few species provide a nursing home to innumerable other creature , includingsharks , octopuses , crustacean , swordfish , eel , sea stars , sponges and louse , as well as commercially importantfishspecies like hake , Sowers read .
Most of the freshly map Witwatersrand dwell within a protect surface area , make love as a Habitat Area of Particular Concern , which was create in 2010 , Sowers said . This means the coral are harbour from destructive seafloor sportfishing pattern that threaten other unprotected reefs around the orb , he tote up .
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