Scientists have discovered a freestanding coral reef at the northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef – an impressive 500 meters high, above the Empire State Building, Sydney Tower and Petronas Towers in Malaysia.
This is the first such discovery in the region in 120 years, made by a team at the Schmidt Ocean Institute using underwater mapping technology, and then filmed by the SuBastian underwater robot. The researchers are currently on a 12-month mission to map Australia's underwater landscape.
The giant reef, separated from the Great Barrier Reef but still attached to the ocean floor, joins several other high reefs in the region, including the Rhine Island Reef, an important habitat and breeding ground for green turtles.
“The unexpected discovery confirms that we continue to find unknown structures and new species in our ocean,” says Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. “Our knowledge of what is in the ocean has been limited for a long time.”
Research vessel 'Falcor'. (Schmidt Ocean Institute).
'With new technologies that work like our eyes, ears and hands in the deep ocean, we have the ability to explore like never before. New seascapes are opening up before us, revealing the ecosystems and diverse life forms that share the planet with us. '
Researchers say the reef is about 1.5 kilometers wide at the base. Initial photographs show that this natural phenomenon is home to a variety of sponges, fishnet-like sea fans and soft corals.
(Schmidt Ocean Institute).
Many reef fish have already been spotted around it, from small hatchets to gray reef sharks. It appears to be a huge cornucopia that has eluded discovery until now, and it is likely that it will take years to fully explore the reef.
A four hour video is also available if you want to see the full SuBastian journey to the open reef.
Sources: Photo: (Schmidt Ocean Institute)
