"Discovery of the World's Largest Deep-Sea Coral Reef Ecosystem"

A new study published in Geomatics has revealed the largest known deep-sea coral reef habitat, located in the Blake Plateau about 100 miles off the southeast U.S. coastline. The study combined bathymetric data from 31 multibeam sonar mapping surveys and imagery from 23 submersible dives to create a nearly complete map of the seafloor, estimating 83,908 individual coral mound peak features covering a 6.4 million acre area. The coral province, primarily comprised of Desmophyllum pertusum, spans up to 310 miles long and 68 miles wide, with a high-density core area covering 2,400 square miles. This discovery underscores the importance of deep-sea exploration and interagency collaboration in understanding and preserving these vital ecosystems.