Scientists stumble on coral reef colossus - 9th November 2020

A colossal tower of detached coral reef has been discovered at the northern extent of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, the first such discovery in 120 years.

The "blade-like" vertical reef, which at 500 metres reaches to a height greater than New York's Empire State Building and Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Twin Towers, was found by scientists on a 12 month mission to explore the seafloor in the area. Conducting 3D mapping of the seabed, the team's robotic submarine livestreamed the discovery in real time. The reef is 1.5 kilometres in width and rises half a kilometre to just 40 metres below the surface of the ocean.

"To find a new half-a-kilometre tall reef in the offshore Cape York area of the well-recognised Great Barrier Reef shows how mysterious the world is just beyond our coastline," said mission director Dr Jyotika Virmani.

The Great Barrier Reef, composed of almost 3,000 individual reefs, 900 islands and stretching over 2,300 kilometres, is the world's largest coral reef system. It supports an extraordinary diversity of life, including more than 1,500 species of fish and over 400 types of hard corals. The reef has been designated a World Heritage site since 1981 due to its "enormous scientific and intrinsic importance".

Recent years have seen the reef suffer from the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures are warming the waters, killing off coral, dispersing other marine life and accelerating the development of harmful algae blooms and other contaminants. Research released earlier this month found that the Great Barrier Reef has lost more than 50 per cent of its corals since 1995.

The last prior discovery of a tall reef in the area was made in the late 1800s, although this reef stands in close proximity to others of its kind.

The abundance of sponges, sea fans and soft corals are indicators that the area is likely to be rich in nutrients.