Ultraviolet light illuminates the growth rings in a cross section of a 44-year-old deep-sea coral.
Growth Rings
Image courtesy of Deepwater Canyons 2013 - Pathways to the Abyss, NOAA-OER/BOEM/USGS. Download image (jpg, 123 KB).

Ultraviolet light illuminates the growth rings in a cross section of a 44-year-old deep-sea coral (Primnoa resedaeformis) collected of the coast of Newfoundland at 400 meters (Sherwood et al., 2005). Similar to trees, this cross section reveals coral-growth rings that can be counted to determine the age of the coral.

Learn more