Nature & Environment
Discovery of Table Coral, Acropora Cytherea
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Aug 08, 2013 10:55 PM EDT
Scientists have just discovered the first known colony of table coral off of the south shore of O'ahu in Hawai'i.
The coral commonly gets it's name from its flat-topped, table-like shape. Table coral is one of the primary reef-building corals that have been seen in the tropical Pacific throughout history, yet have not been observed in waters off O'ahu until just recently, according to researchers who took a 60 feet deep dive for the discovery.
These fish are seen in great numbers at Johnston Atoll, just 800 miles southeast of Honolulu. Yet, it is rare in Hawai'i where distribution is often limited to French Frigate shoals and other neighboring atolls in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
"This discovery represents a significant contribution to the diversity of O'ahu reefs," said Daniel Wagner, Ph.D., NOAA research specialist with PapahÄnaumokuÄkea Marine National Monument, via a press release. "Hawai'i may be in the process of being colonized by table coral from Johnston Atoll or other neighboring tropical archipelagos."
Scientists made this incredible discovery back in last November during a survey of dives off the south shore of O'ahu.
More information regarding this discovery can be found in the Bulletin of Marine Science.
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First Posted: Aug 08, 2013 10:55 PM EDT
Scientists have just discovered the first known colony of table coral off of the south shore of O'ahu in Hawai'i.
The coral commonly gets it's name from its flat-topped, table-like shape. Table coral is one of the primary reef-building corals that have been seen in the tropical Pacific throughout history, yet have not been observed in waters off O'ahu until just recently, according to researchers who took a 60 feet deep dive for the discovery.
These fish are seen in great numbers at Johnston Atoll, just 800 miles southeast of Honolulu. Yet, it is rare in Hawai'i where distribution is often limited to French Frigate shoals and other neighboring atolls in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
"This discovery represents a significant contribution to the diversity of O'ahu reefs," said Daniel Wagner, Ph.D., NOAA research specialist with PapahÄnaumokuÄkea Marine National Monument, via a press release. "Hawai'i may be in the process of being colonized by table coral from Johnston Atoll or other neighboring tropical archipelagos."
Scientists made this incredible discovery back in last November during a survey of dives off the south shore of O'ahu.
More information regarding this discovery can be found in the Bulletin of Marine Science.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone