Deep relaxation: Breathe and unwind in deep-sea coral and sponge gardens
Give yourself a moment to breathe deep and take in the beauty of these deep-sea coral and sponge gardens.
Deep below the ocean's surface underwater mountains are home to spectacular sponge and coral gardens. Forests of stunning, old-growth corals thrive on seamounts and other hard-rock environments in the dark, cold waters of the deep ocean where they provide critical habitat for a wealth of fishes and invertebrates. These unique cold-water corals have become a research priority due to their importance as oases of life in the deep ocean, as well as concern for their safety in view of their extreme vulnerability to deep-sea trawling or other non-natural disturbances.These corals and sponges create complex, three-dimensional structures that provide habitat for many other animals such as crabs, snailfish, and blob sculpins.
MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)
MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) is a nonprofit research institution advancing marine science and engineering to understand our changing ocean.
