#Environment Minister Jose Davalos

[thepastisalreadywritten]

New coral reef discovered in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands

Reuters | 18 April 2023

Fish gather at an ancient and pristine coral reef discovered by a scientific expedition in the depths of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on 17 April 2023.

📷: UBristol / WHOI / UEssex / UBoise / NERC / NSF / National Park Galapagos / Handout via REUTERS

A scientific expedition has discovered a previously unknown coral reef with abundant marine life off Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, the country's environment ministry said on Monday.

"A deepwater scientific expedition has found the first totally pristine coral reef, approximately two kilometers (1.2 miles) long, at 400 meters (deep), on the summit of a submarine mountain," Environment Minister Jose Davalos said on Twitter. "Galapagos surprises us again!"

Scientists had believed that the only Galapagos reef to survive El Nino weather in 1982 and 1983 was one called the Wellington reef, along the coast of Darwin Island, but the new discovery shows other coral has persisted, the ministry said in a statement.

The reef has more than 50% living coral.

"This is very important at a global level because many deepwater systems are degraded," said Stuart Banks, senior marine researcher at the Charles Darwin Foundation, who participated in the expedition.

"The coral is several thousand years old at least," he added.

The South American country last year expanded the Galapagos marine reserve by 60,000 square km (23,166 square miles), an extension of the 138,000 square km already in place, to protect endangered migratory species between the Galapagos and the Cocos Island in Costa Rica.

The Galapagos, which inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, are also home to giant tortoises, albatrosses, cormorants and other species, some of which are endangered.

The research submarine Alvin is pictured in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, 11 November 2021.

📷: UBristol / WHOI / UEssex / UBoise / NERC / NSF / National Park Galapagos / Handout via REUTERS

The scientific ship Atlantis is anchored in the Academia Bay in Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, 29 March 2023.

📷: Carlos Espinosa / National Park Galapagos / Handout via REUTERS

#Galapagos Islands #Ecuador #Environment Minister Jose Davalos #Wellington reef #Charles Darwin Foundation #Galapagos marine reserve #Charles Darwin #coral reef #Theory of Evolution #scientific expedition #Reuters

[reasonsforhope]

"A coral reef with flourishing marine life has been discovered off Ecuador's Galapagos Islands.

A scientific expedition traced the 1.2-mile-long (2km) reef to the top of an underwater mountain formed by volcanic activity - 400m (1,300ft) deep.

Ecuador's environment minister, Jose Davalos, said the exploration team "found the first totally pristine coral reef... on the summit of a submarine mountain".

The previously unknown underwater colony comes as a surprise to scientists, who believed only one reef existed in the volcanic archipelago - Wellington - along the coast of the tiny Darwin Island.

Reefs in the area were severely degraded during El Niño weather in 1982-83 when the ocean surface warmed to devastating levels.

However, the newly discovered reef survived the event and has more than 50% living coral.

Mr. Davalos tweeted: "Galapagos surprises us again."

Senior marine researcher at the Charles Darwin Foundation and expedition participant, Stuart Banks, said: "This is very important at a global level because many deepwater systems are degraded."

He added the coral dated back several thousand years.

Ecuador expanded the Galapagos marine reserve by more than 20,000 square miles last year to protect endangered migratory species between the archipelago and Cocos Island in Costa Rica. Many endangered animals live on the islands including giant tortoises, albatrosses and cormorants."

-via Sky News UK, 4/18/23

#coral #coral reef #underwater #galapagos #ecuador #costa rica #marine science #endangered species #migratory birds #good news #hope