Deep-water coral

The crew of the Falkor (too) research vessel is at it again: In January, the team discovered four underwater mountains off the coast of Chile. The vessel has now identified 29 seamounts, hills, and trenches since 2012.Is The Great Barrier Reef Healing?The seamounts range in height from 5,220 feet (1,591 meters) to a staggering 8,796 feet (2,681 meters). For reference, Burj Khalifa—the world’s tallest building—is half that size at 2,717 feet tall. The seamounts were not previously included in any bathymetry database the…

There’s a new, ancient coral reef in town, and it’s magnificent. Scientists working to survey the deep ocean surrounding the Galápagos Islands discovered a never-before-observed reef complex, hundreds of meters below the sea surface. And, despite the current, sorry state of corals across the world’s marine ecosystems, this newly documented (but likely very old) reef appears to be thriving.“The reef is pristine and teeming with life,” said Michelle Taylor, a deep-sea marine biologist at the University of Essex and one of…

An expedition to map and survey a little-understood region of the Atlantic Ocean is underway this week. Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and partner groups are sending a two-part, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on a series of deep ocean dives as part of a mission called “Voyage to the Ridge 2022.”The ROV carries sensors and cameras, and is recording everything it finds on the seafloor along sections of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge—one of the largest geological features on Earth. The best…