Education: Themes: Deep-sea Corals: Multimedia: NOAA Ocean Exploration

The second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition, located along the upper slopes of a Mid-Atlantic Ridge parallel normal fault, provided ideal conditions needed to support beautiful, diverse, and dense coral and sponge communities.

Candelabra

Dive 05 of Windows to the Deep 2021 provided the opportunity to get a close up look of what scientists believe is a new genus of bamboo coral. The upright vertical branches, which are added on with age, make the coral look like a candelabra. Video like this helps scientists name and identify species. This large, 2-meter (6.6-foot) coral was seen at 1,410 meters (4,626 feet).

Life on the Bioherm

During the first dive of Windows to the Deep 2021, we explored a portion of a small ridge of mounds off the South Carolina/Georgia coasts where dead Lophelia coral created structure, or bioherms, upon which a diversity of life thrived.

Million Mounds

The "Millon Mounds" coral region is an area of deep-sea corals about 100 miles off the coast of Georgia and Florida.

A Million Years in the Making

Large mounds of deep-sea corals, like Lophelia pertusa, are formed by dead and living coral. They build up slowly over time, up to 300 meters (984 feet) tall, and provide habitat, protection, and food to other organisms.

The Blake Plateau

The Blake Plateau is home to what is likely the largest known deep-sea coral ecosystem on Earth. Data collected during the Windows to the Deep 2021 expedition will help inform sustainable use and management decisions for the area.

In 2019 we were lucky enough to explore two mound features that revealed extensive, healthy Lophelia coral reefs off the Southeastern U.S. These structures could be thousands of years old, yet prior to this discovery, no one knew they were even there.

Ancient Coral Gardens

In 2019 we were lucky enough to explore 2 mound features that revealed extensive, healthy Lophelia coral reefs off the SE U.S.

Timelapse of the Alvin Dive on an Extensive Coral Environment

An eight-hour dive seen in just over three minutes.

The area explored in the Musicians Seamounts north of Hawaii hosted some of the most-dense coral and sponge communities we've seen!

Coral in Concert

The area explored in the Musicians Seamounts north of Hawaii hosted some of the most-dense coral and sponge communities seen during the expedition.

In August 2017, NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science led the 18-day Southeast Deep Coral Initiative (SEDCI): Exploring Deep-Sea Coral Ecosystems off the Southeast U.S. expedition aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. The goals of the expedition included mapping, surveying, and sampling deep-sea coral ecosystems in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic Bight.

Living in the Dark

This video highlights work from August 2017 as part of the Southeast Deep Coral Initiative: Exploring Deep-Sea Coral Ecosystems off the Southeast U.S. expedition.

Several large sponges and coral colonies (some of which were more than 1.5 meters across) in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in the central Pacific.

Land of Giants

Video of several large sponges and coral colonies seen in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in the central Pacific.

The hard seafloor at the site provided an ideal surface on which corals can grow and provide habitat for a range of animals, much like trees do in a forest on land.

The Deep Coral Forest

Hard seafloor provides an ideal surface on which corals can grow and provides habitat for a range of animals, much like trees do in a forest on land.

A Year-long Meal

A sea star eats its way up a coral on a ridge at 2,006 meters (6,851 feet) depth.

Big Yellow Coral

This bamboo coral was almost as big as remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer, making scientists speculate that the coral colony is likely hundreds of years old.

Architects of the Deep

Deep-sea corals provide habitat for a diversity of organisms such as sponges, shrimp, worms, and more.

ROV Deep Discoverer explores a high-density coral community in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Delilah Seamount

Remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer explores a high-density coral community in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Bubble Gum Coral Forest

We saw so many coral colonies that we nicknamed this dive “Paragorgia Fest 2019” due to the exciting conclusion with a wall of large corals, many of them being Paragorgia sp, commonly known as bubble gum coral!

Hotspots of Diversity

Deep-sea corals and sponges provide habitat for other organisms to live on, creating oases of life.

This video shows deep sea coral communities, cup coral, Paragorgia, lots of purple, pink and orange corals; sponges, and fishes. Scientists discuss conservation management, validation of communities, modeling, connectivity patterns.

Hydrographer Canyon

Video from exploration of Hydrographer Canyon shows deep-sea coral communities.

This video shows rocks and sediment slope; corals, shrimp, squat lobster; a baby octopus hatching in a sponge; octocorals; and cup corals, Paragorgia, Lophelia.

Deep-sea Coral Community

This video shows rocks and a sediment slope; corals, shrimp, and squat lobster; a baby octopus hatching in a sponge; and octocorals and cup corals.

Octocoral

This close-up of octocoral, Anthomastus sp., was observed during the first dive ever on Caryn Seamount during the 2021 ROV Shakedown. Look closely, and you can count the eight tentacles that surround each polyp of this octocoral.

Purple Octocoral

This unusual purple octocoral in the family Plexauridae was observed at a depth of 1,368 meters (4,488 feet) during Dive 09 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition.The coral also provides a foundation for sessile, or immobile animals, like the barnacles pictured here, to attach and feed on microscopic food drifting by.

Lophelia Coral Colony

As Dive 01 of Windows to the Deep 2021 progressed and we explored higher relief areas of mounds on the seafloor, we encountered increasing amounts of live, healthy (and white!) Lophelia coral living on top of dead Lophelia rubble. Both the living and dead coral colonies provided habitat for multiple species of small animals such as solitary cup corals, crinoids, and a variety of fish.

Urchin Feeding

One of the most noteworthy sightings of Dive 13 was an urchin that was in the process of feeding on a black coral. Black corals are predominantly found in deep water and little is known about their basic ecology, including what feeds on them.

Swiftia Octocoral

Like most octocorals, this Swiftia, which was seen During Dive 12 of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration, has eight tentacles on each of its polyps. Octocorals use these tentacles, which surround the polyps’ mouths, to catch food as it flows by in the current.

Iridigorgia

Iridigorgia soft coral with squat lobsters in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.

Precious Coral

Most coral colonies, including this precious coral, are often home to a number of species of brittle stars.

Black Corals

Black corals in in the Johnston Atoll Unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Umbrella-shaped Pillar

Unusual umbrella-shaped pillar feature covered in deep-sea corals and sponges.

Sea Star

A large sea star preys on precious coral.

Pink Coral

This rather large deep-sea pink is likely a particularly old colony.

Seamount Coral

Corals on a seamount, aligned perpendicular to the current - an optimal position to acquire food.

Sculpin

A sculpin rests on a large red tree coral.

Red Tree Corals

These corals have been shown to be the foundation of diverse deepwater communities in Alaska and can occur as shallow as six meters.

Bubblegum Coral

Bubblegum coral, several colonies of Primnoa, an anemone, and sea star all inhabiting a boulder within a submarine canyon.

Galathaeid Crab

A large galathaeid crab sits on a gold coral tree. Galathaeids are one of the larger and more abundant invertebrates we find in association with deep-sea corals.

Gulf of Alaska 2002: Exploring Alaska's Seamounts Highlights

View colorful highlights of deep-sea marine life from the Gulf of Alaska, including fan corals, vase sponges, basket stars and squid.

This video shows a deep-sea coral bioluminescing as it is agitated by the manipulator arm of the Johnson-Sea-Link II submersible. These images were taken in complete darkness while the submersible was on a deep sea dive off the coast of Florida.

Islands in the Stream 2002: Bioluminescing Deep-sea Coral

This video shows a deep-sea coral bioluminescing as it is agitated by the manipulator arm of the a submersible.

Ocean Today - Coral Forests of the Deep

A short video describing deep-sea coral habitat. Most corals were once thought to live in tropical water, close enough to the surface to receive sunlight.

Ocean Today - Deep Ocean Corals

A short video in which scientists describe deep-sea corals and deep-sea coral habitat in the central Pacific Ocean.

NOAA Deep-sea Coral Data Portal

This Portal provides access to deep sea coral and sponge data, images, and technical reports from research funded by NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) and its partners.

Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide

NOAA Ocean Exploration's Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide is a collection of in situ images taken from the Deep Discoverer remotely operated vehicle.

Deep-Sea Coral Habitat

You might think of corals and picture a sunny and shallow tropical reef. Yet recent advances in deep ocean exploration have revealed spectacular coral gardens in the dark ocean depths.

Education Theme: Deep-sea Corals

Multimedia