Scientists say biggest coral in the world discovered in the Pacific

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Scientists accidental they person recovered the world's largest coral adjacent the Pacific's Solomon Islands, announcing Thursday a large find "pulsing with beingness and color." The coral is truthful immense that researchers sailing the crystal waters of the Solomon archipelago initially thought they'd stumbled crossed a hulking shipwreck.

"Just erstwhile we deliberation determination is thing near to observe connected satellite Earth, we find a monolithic coral made of astir 1 cardinal small polyps, pulsing with beingness and color," marine ecologist Enric Sala said.

The standalone structure, formed from a "complex network" of tiny coral polyps, has apt been increasing for 300 years oregon more, the researchers said.

At astir 111 feet wide and 104 feet long, the squad said the "mega coral" was 3 times bigger than the erstwhile grounds holder — a coral dubbed "Big Momma" successful American Samoa. The monolithic coral is not a coral reef, structures that tin beryllium acold larger but are comprised of galore chiseled coral colonies, they explained.

"While Big Momma looked similar a immense scoop of crystal pick plopped down connected the reef, this recently discovered coral is arsenic if the crystal pick started to melt, spreading everlastingly on the seafloor," said pb idiosyncratic Molly Timmers.

It's longer than a bluish whale and thought to beryllium "so colossal" that it could beryllium seen from space.

The coral was discovered astatine the southeastern extremity of the Solomon Islands, successful an country known arsenic the Three Sisters. It was spotted by a National Geographic squad embarking connected a technological expedition successful the region.

Hotter and much acidic oceans person drained the beingness from corals successful galore of the region's tropical waters, a process called bleaching, including Australia's famed Great Barrier Reef. But this latest find offered a tiny glimmer of hope, the probe squad said.

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"While the adjacent shallow reefs were degraded owed to warmer seas, witnessing this ample steadfast coral oasis successful somewhat deeper waters is simply a beacon of hope," said coral idiosyncratic Eric Brown.

The lush rainforests and pristine waters of the Solomon Islands person agelong been celebrated for their ecological diversity. Wildlife observations made successful the country successful the 1920s helped beryllium a cardinal portion of Charles Darwin's mentation of evolution.

"There is truthful overmuch to larn astir the richness of marine beingness and the water ecosystem, but this uncovering opens doors of knowledge," said apical Solomon Islands authoritative Collin Beck. "More technological probe is needed to amended recognize our affluent biodiversity and our planet."

The find was announced arsenic representatives from astir the satellite conscionable successful Baku, Azerbaijan for the COP29 United Nations acme connected clime change.

The Solomon Islands nationalist clime minister, Trevor Manemahaga, told CBS News' spouse web BBC News astatine the acme that his federation was arrogant to beryllium the location of the massive, recently discovered coral.

"We privation the satellite to know, that this is simply a peculiar place, and it needs to beryllium protected," helium told the BBC. "We trust mostly connected marine resources for economical survival, truthful coral is very, precise important."

Small, low-lying land nations specified arsenic the Solomons are among the astir susceptible to the increasing effects of clime change and sea-level rise.