Several species of deep-sea corals form an underwater garden 165 m (540 ft) below the ocean’s surface off the coast of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. (Alberto Lindner/NOAA) Deep-sea corals come in a virtual paint box of colors—yellow, orange, red, purple, and more.

In January 2024, scientists announced they have mapped the largest coral reef deep in the ocean, stretching hundreds of miles off the U.S. coast. While researchers have known since the 1960s that some coral were present off the Atlantic coast, the reef’s size remained a mystery until new underwater mapping technology made it possible to ...

Many species that inhabit these deep reefs are crucial to global seafood markets, supporting coastal economies and providing food security for millions of people. ... Deep areas within America’s underwater parks, such as National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa and Papahānaumokuākea, Cordell Bank, Greater Farallones, Olympic Coast, and ...

Near the ocean's surface, coral reefs are large collections of interconnected corals. On these big reefs, there's a kind of traffic jam of polyps: They're all crowding each other for limited space. In deep-sea corals, on the other hand, the polyps don't have to struggle as much for room.

When we think of coral reefs, images of clear, warm water, gently swaying sea fans and brightly colored fish tend to spring to mind. The coral reefs that we will be exploring during this expedition live in very different habitats from shallow reefs, but are remarkably similar in many ways.

Unlike tropical reefs, they live from 150 feet to more than 10,000 feet below sea level, where sunlight is dim to nonexistent. Instead of forming rock-like reefs, these cold-water corals form groves of tree, feather, column, or fan shapes, sometimes reaching dozens of feet tall.

2025年3月24日 · Video—Habitat Exploration: Deep-Sea Corals. There are more than 70 underwater canyons off the northeastern coast of the United States, some more than 3 miles deep. In this video, journey to the deep and discover new species of deep-sea coral and more through the eye of a remotely operated vehicle.

2023年8月8日 · Here, we defined deep-sea coral species distribution and richness, using these surveys, correlating them to physical oceanographic properties. Solenosmilia variabilis was the most prevalent...

2025年1月13日 · Deep-sea coral habitats, vital ecosystems that take centuries to grow, are increasingly at risk from destructive practices like bottom trawling. A recent study co-authored by Marine Conservation Institute's Russell Moffitt underscores the urgent need for improved monitoring and enforcement to protect these fragile ecosystems.

2015年3月5日 · Deep-sea corals are widely distributed within the earth’s oceans and some of them (e.g., Lophelia spp.) are habitat engineers in what is often considered a “barren underwater desert”. Corals form unique 3D reef structures, often called banks or thickets that create biodiversity hotspots by attracting a large variety of other animals.