Largest Coral Colony Found In Solomon Island

LARGEST CORAL COLONY FOUND IN SOLOMON ISLAND

• In October 2024, researchers from National Geographic’s Pristine Seas team made a major discovery in the Solomon Islands, located in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
• The team found the world’s largest coral colony, so big that it can be seen from space.
• Why it matters: This discovery shows both the size and age of the colony, while also highlighting how fragile coral reefs are, especially with the ongoing threat of climate change.

WHAT ARE CORALS?

Corals are marine organisms from the phylum Cnidaria, typically found in warm, shallow ocean waters. These fascinating creatures are colonial, meaning they live in groups and build massive underwater structures called coral reefs.

• Coral Polyps: Corals are made up of tiny individual animals known as polyps. A polyp has a simple structure:
  • A mouth surrounded by tentacles.
  • They feed on zooplankton (small marine organisms) by capturing them with their tentacles.
• Symbiotic Relationship: Many types of corals also have a unique symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, a type of photosynthetic algae.
  • The algae live inside the coral polyps and provide energy to the corals through photosynthesis. In return, corals provide the algae with nutrients.
  • Coral Reefs: Over time, corals accumulate their calcium carbonate skeletons, forming large, complex structures known as coral reefs.

IMPORTANCE OF CORALS

• Critical for Marine Life: Corals create coral reefs, which are home to many sea creatures.
• Threatened by Climate Change: Corals are at risk because of warmer ocean temperatures caused by climate change.
• This can lead to coral bleaching and large-scale deaths of coral.
• However, this specific coral colony seems to have been protected, likely because it lives at deeper depths, where the water is cooler.

Resilience and Protection:

• The survival of this coral is significant because it has managed to avoid many of the worst effects of warming waters, possibly due to its location in deeper waters, which help shield it from extreme temperatures.

WHAT IS CORAL BLEACHING?

KEY DETAILS

• Size and Structure:
  • The coral is about 112 feet by 105 feet in size.
  • It lies 42 feet underwater and rises about 16 feet from the ocean floor.
  • Age: It is believed to be around 300 years old, though it could be even older.
• The discovery happened just one day before the team planned to move to a new area for their research.
• A videographer, working on documenting the effects of climate change, found the coral by accident.

GEOGRAPHY & LOCATION

1. The Solomon Islands is an archipelago located in the south-western Pacific Ocean.
2. It consists of nearly 1,000 islands, though only 147 are inhabited.
3. The islands are spread over an area of 461,000 sq.km, with 28,446 sq.km being landmass.
4. The nearest neighboring countries are:

• • Vanuatu to the southeast.
  • Papua New Guinea to the west.

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