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Lophelia Coral

Dense fields of Lophelia pertusa, a common reef-building coral, have been found on the Blake Plateau knolls. The white coloring is healthy - deep-sea corals don’t rely on symbiotic algae, so they can’t bleach. Similar areas will be targeted for ROV dives on the upcoming expedition.

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Credit

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2019.