As we traveled upslope during Dive 14 of Windows to the Deep 2021, we encountered the first living Lophelia pertusa coral at a depth of 822 meters (2,697 feet), and the seafloor substrate began to transition from primarily dead coral rubble to living Lophelia coral as the dominant species growing on top of the standing dead coral.
Lophelia pertusa Coral
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2021.
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As we traveled upslope during Dive 14 of Windows to the Deep 2021, we encountered the first living Lophelia pertusa coral at a depth of 822 meters (2,697 feet), and the seafloor substrate began to transition from primarily dead coral rubble to living Lophelia coral as the dominant species growing on top of the standing dead coral.