Great news in Australia … scientists found a new coral reef that’s over 1,640 feet tall — taller than the Empire State building!
The new reef was discovered by a team on a year-long expedition and it’s the first coral reef discovered in the Great Barrier Reef in more than 120 years.
A team of scientists was on board a research vessel named Falkor who were using it to map out the seafloor of Australian waters when they discovered eight tall detached reefs in an area that includes Raine Island, home of the world’s most important green sea turtle nesting area.
The team led by Dr. Robin Beaman coordinated a dive on Sunday using an underwater robot named SuBastian. They explored the new reef and even live-streamed it for others to see on Youtube!
Understandably, the scientists were excited about the discovery and it adds to a banner year for them, as they have also discovered close to 30 new species earlier in the year. They also found a siphonophore in Ningaloo Canyon which is now the longest recorded sea creature at 144 feet.
At Karmagawa and SaveTheReef we’re super excited about these discoveries because it shows that there’s still so much of our planet we have yet to experience and enjoy.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world, covering over 133,000 square miles, and is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 411 species of hard corals, and dozens of other species.
We have to protect it because recent studies have shown that 50% of its coral populations have been lost in the last three decades due to things like climate change.
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(Cover image: I Shafiq/Shutterstock