Submerged banks in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, greatly increase available coral reef habitat

A significant portion of the Great Barrier Reef's seabed, previously underestimated as potential coral habitat, consists of submerged banks that could serve as critical deep reef environments. Research reveals that only 39% (16,110 km²) of these banks support near-sea-surface coral reefs, while the remaining 61% (25,600 km²), submerged at an average depth of 27 meters, may offer suitable conditions for deep coral communities. Predictive modeling suggests that over half of this submerged area—approximately 14,000 km²—could support diverse coral ecosystems. This discovery underscores the importance of deeper reef habitats in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function amid threats like anthropogenic ocean warming.

Harris, P. T., Bridge, T. C. L., Beaman, R. J., Webster, J. M., Nichol, S. L., & Brooke, B. P. (2012). Submerged banks in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, greatly increase available coral reef habitat. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70(2), 284–293. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fss165