An expedition of scientists has discovered the coral world’s largest coral reef – 34 meters wide and 32 meters long – in the Solomon Islands from Pacific South Pacific, reported those responsible for the Pristine Seas project of the National Geographic Society. The finding is merit of the Spanish biologist and cameraman Manu San Félix, who explained to Efe that he felt a great emotion when he came across the coral. “I left with a smile from ear to ear and happy,” said the expert.
In a communiqué, the participants in the scientific mission explained that the coral colony -of the species Pavona clavus and spotted on October 26 – grew over three centuries and is visible from space. “Just when we thought there was nothing left to discover on the planet, we found a gigantic coral composed of almost billion tiny polypsfull of life and color,” said Spain’s Enric Sala, explorer-in-residence at National Geographic and founder of Pristine Seas.
“This is a significant scientific discovery, like finding the world’s tallest tree. But there is also cause for alarm. Despite its remote location, this coral is not safe from global warming and other human threats,” Sala added. The coral, which is 5.5 meters tall and described as brown in color with flashing bright yellows, blues and redsIt is located in the group of islands called Tres Hermanas and was sighted by the Spanish explorer Manu San Felix.
Through a video call from Honiara, San Felix related that the discovery was. “random.” and that he was amazed to see the large coral during a dive with his son Íñigo San Juan, also a member of the scientific mission. At that moment he already had the impression of the magnitude of the discovery, but it was not until the next day when measurements confirmed that it is the largest coral in the world. “It is in good health and there are no signs of bleaching.. And what is striking is that the nearby reefs are very affected. That is there to study and understand the reason for this resistance,” he said.
A ball of ice cream on the seafloor
Until now, the largest coral in the world was found in the American Samoa -a U.S. territory in the Pacific – and measured about 22 meters in diameter, while the largest coral reef is still the Great Barrier Reef located in the Pacific Ocean. Australia. The team’s lead scientist, Molly Timmers, pointed out that the American Samoa coral, known as Big Mommahas the shape of a “huge scoop of ice cream”, while the new coral “is as if that ice cream had started to melt, spreading endlessly across the seafloor”.
The discovery was made during the Pristine Seas expedition aboard a ship with more than 18 scientists and cameramen in the Solomon Islands that began last October 16 to study the seafloor and promote sustainability. “Large adult coral colonies such as this one contribute significantly to the ecosystem recovery reef ecosystems due to their high reproductive potential,” said Eric Brown, coral scientist on the expedition.
Pristine Seaswhich has the support of the Solomon Islands authorities, indicated that this discovery comes at a time when only 8.4% of the ocean has some form of environmental protection. However, scientific studies show that at least 30% of the oceans should be protected to maintain their capacity to absorb pollution and their food supply and economic sustainability.
Environmental importance
Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources official Ronnie Posala said. the coral discovery is “monumental” for his country because of its ocean importance. “Corals are also our first line of defense, protecting coastal communities from the waves and storms storms,” he said.
The Pristine Seas project works with local communities, governments and other partners to protect the oceans through research, community engagement and communication strategies. It is a National Geographic initiativethe educational and scientific society that has informative channels through the web, magazines and television channels.