Italy’s first-ever coral reef discovered

Italy’s first coral reef has been discovered in the Adriatic Sea, approximately 1.6km off the coast of Monopoli, in Puglia, Italy. The reef stretches for over 2km and lies perpendicular to the town’s coastline. The reef sits at a depth of 30m-55m below sea level.

Newly discovered mesophotic coral in Italy. Image source: Scientific Report

The reef system has been identified by scientists as a mesophotic coral reef. This is also the first reef system of this kind to be found in the Mediterranean. The mesophotic coral reefs naturally occur at great depths and are therefore not very colourful.

Giuseppe Corriero, professor at the University of Bari Aldo Moro and leader of the research project explained to The Guardian that the coral’s ability to survive in murky conditions makes this reef rare. “In the early 1990s I worked as a marine biologist in the Maldives. But I never thought I’d find a coral reef, 30 years later, a stone’s throw from my house,” professor Corriero told The Guardian.

Sunlight creates algae, which is the food source for other coral reefs. Due to the low light conditions, the mesophotic reef feeds off organisms floating in its surrounding environment.

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