Rare, Pristine Coral Reef, Unaffected By Warming Seas, Discovered Off Tahiti Coast

Corals, found deep in the sea, are tiny animals that grow and form reefs in the oceans across the globe.

This handout picture taken by French photographer Alexis Rosenfeld on December 12, 2021 shows a newly-discovered reef of giant rose-shaped corals at a depth of over 30 meters off Tahiti, in French Polynesia | Photo: AFP

New Delhi: A rare stretch of pristine corals has been found off the coast of Tahiti. The reef is thought to be one of the largest ones existing at such a depth, according to an AP report.

Corals, found deep in the sea, are tiny animals that grow and form reefs in the oceans across the globe.

The corals that have been found in the deep South Pacific are shaped like roses. Scientists are surprised over the fact that they remain untouched by the effects of climate change and human activities.

Laetitia Hédouin, a researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Moorea, French Polynesia, was the first to spot the coral reef, the AP report said.

She first spotted them when she went for a fun dive with a local diving club a few months back. 

“When I went there for the first time, I thought, ’Wow — we need to study that reef. There’s something special about that reef,” Hédouin was quoted as saying.

She was particularly interested in the reef as she noticed that it looked very healthy and wasn’t affected by a bleaching event that took place in 2019. 

The reef lying at depths of more than 30 metres may have taken around 25 years to grow, a Reuters report said, adding that the rose-shaped corals measure more than 2 metres in diameter.

WATCH: A pristine coral reef unblemished by warming oceans has been found off Tahiti, giving scientists hope that there may be more unspoiled reefs in our oceans https://t.co/3jpIrxFSZ2 pic.twitter.com/hxI5QGPT3H

— Reuters Asia (@ReutersAsia) January 21, 2022

"It was magical to witness giant, beautiful rose corals which stretch for as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of art," French photographer Alexis Rosenfeld was quoted as saying.

Rosenfeld led the team of international divers that made the discovery. 

Coral reefs across the world are depleting because of human actions  such as overfishing and pollution. Climate change is another major factor that is harming delicate corals. Severe bleaching activities caused by warmer waters have adverse impacts on these corals.

According to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Project, 14 per cent of the world’s corals were killed between 2009 and 2018, AP reported.

Quoting UNESCO scientists, the Reuters report said since only about 20 per cent of the entire seabed is mapped, the Tahiti discovery suggests there could be more unknown large reefs in the oceans.

"It also raises questions about how coral reefs become more resilient to climate change," Julian Barbiere, UNESCO's head of marine policy, told Reuters, adding that more of the ocean floor should be mapped to better safeguard marine biodiversity.