Deep Coral Reef

In this image provided by NOAA Ocean Exploration, a few large thickets of Lophelia pertusa coral grow along the edges of large rock shelf overhangs at the Blake Plateau off the southeastern coast of the U.S., in July 2019. The white coloring is healthy, as deep-sea corals don't rely on symbiotic algae. In January 2024, scientists announced they have mapped the largest coral reef deep in the ocean, stretching hundreds of miles off the U.S. coast. While researchers have known since the 1960s that some coral were present off the Atlantic coast, the reef's size remained a mystery until new underwater mapping technology made it possible to construct 3D images of the ocean floor. (NOAA Ocean Exploration via AP) AP PROVIDES ACCESS TO THIS PUBLICLY DISTRIBUTED HANDOUT PHOTO PROVIDED BY NOAA OCEAN EXPLORATION; MANDATORY CREDIT

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