A rare reef
Marine explorers mapping the ocean floor have made an unusual discovery off the coast of Tahiti in the South Pacific. During a diving expedition into the ocean’s ‘twilight zone’, a depth just beyond the reach of sunlight, researchers came upon a three-kilometre-long, 30-metre-deep reef covered in rose-like corals. So far it seems untouched by the damaging bleaching events seen elsewhere, likely thanks to its unusual depth; most coral reefs, whose individual polyps contain photosynthetic algae, are found in shallower waters. The expedition was part of the Seabed2030 Project, which aims to map 100 per cent of the world’s ocean floor by 2030 – so far less than 20 per cent has been recorded.