New Reefs Discovered Off Ireland

About 40 coral-covered mounds were discovered in a 200 square-kilometer (77 square-mile) stretch of sea at the southern end of Porcupine Bank in the Atlantic Ocean, the National University of Ireland Galway said.

“These are by far the most pristine, thriving and hence spectacular examples of cold-water coral reefs that I’ve encountered in almost 10 years of study in Irish waters,” said Anthony Grehan, a zoologist at the school who led the research.

While coral reefs are more common in warm waters off Australia, the Maldives and Caribbean, they have increasingly been found in cold waters, including at least 2,000 square kilometers of reef off Norway, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

Cold-water reefs are important because they provide feeding grounds and nursery areas for fish including commercial species, according to UNEP. Larger warm-water reefs provide benefits including fisheries and coastal protection worth about $30 billion a year, the organization says.

Some reefs were found by scientists to be in less-than pristine condition. Threats to cold-water reefs include damage from bottom-fishing trawlers, oil and gas exploration, pollution and the installation of cables and pipelines.