Giant rose-shaped corals that stretch as far as the eye can see, it is one of the largest coral reefs in the world discovered off the coast of
Tahiti
.
The reef, which is located at a depth of
between 30 and 65 meters
, is in perfect condition according to experts from the scientific research mission promoted by UNESCO as part of the
United Nations
research program to map the oceans.
"To this day, we know the surface of the moon better than the depths of the ocean. Only 20% of the total seafloor has been mapped. This extraordinary discovery in Tahiti demonstrates the incredible work of scientists who, under the auspices of UNESCO, , increase our knowledge of what lies beneath our feet, "said UNESCO Director General
Audrey Azoulay
. The width of the reef which extends for about 3 kilometers and is between 30 and 60 meters wide, with corals 2 meters in diameter make it one of the largest healthy coral reefs ever discovered.
Mission manager
Alexis Rosenfeld,
French photographer and founder of the 1 Ocean campaign, said "it was magical to be able to see these beautiful giant rose-shaped corals stretching as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of art." . '' This is an extraordinary discovery - he added - because, so far, the vast majority of coral reefs known in the world are found at depths of up to 25 meters. This discovery therefore seems to indicate that there are many other large reefs, located at depths greater than 30 meters, in what is called the "twilight zone" of the ocean, which we simply do not know exist. ''
Coral reefs are an important food source for other organisms, and their location can provide protection against coastal erosion and tsunamis.
"French Polynesia suffered a severe bleaching episode in 2019, but this reef does not appear to have been significantly affected by the phenomenon. Furthermore, the perfect conditions it is in are good news for conservation efforts," he said. said
Laetitia Hédouin
, of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and of the international research organization CRIOBE, who participated in the mission.
"We think - he added - that the deepest coral reefs can be better protected from global warming".
In total, the team did around
200 hours of diving
to study the reef and were able to witness coral spawning.
More dives are planned in the coming months to continue research on the rose reef.