Eureka! Researchers found a submarine volcano sprawling off Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands earlier this year. At the summit is a flourishing coral reef that stretches over a mile.
Darwin Island’s Wellington Reef was thought to be one of the few reefs in the region to have survived El Niño’s storms in the 1980s. Surprise! There’s more life thriving in the deep blue.
How was this sea treasure spotted? Efforts to explore even 200 feet below the ocean’s surface are grueling. It’s hard to see, it’s cold, and the water pressure is intense. A deep sea research submersible named Alvin sank over 1,000 feet to make the discovery possible.
An international group of scientists travels aboard the ship Atlantis for the Galápagos Deep 2023 expedition. The expedition is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and UK’s Natural Environmental Research Council.
Dr. Stuart Banks is the Senior Marine Researcher at the Charles Darwin Foundation in Ecuador. He notes, “The captivating thing about these reefs is that they are very old and essentially pristine, unlike those found in many other parts of the world’s oceans.”
Scientists are concerned about the state of coral reefs worldwide. Extreme water temperatures (whether warm or cold) cause corals to push out algae living in their tissues. The corals then turn a ghostly white. This coral bleaching doesn’t kill coral, but it makes it unhealthy. It can eventually lead to death.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world’s largest collection of coral reefs. Over 90% of the reef surveyed last year had coral bleaching. Scientists are hopeful the coral will recover.
Dr. Michelle Taylor of the University of Essex, UK, observed that the reefs found off Ecuador have 50 to 60% live coral in many sections. “They are . . . teeming with life—pink octopus, batfish, squat lobsters, and an array of deep-sea fish, sharks, and rays.”
The Bible teaches Jesus is “before all things” and in Him “all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) God governs the Earth, from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest ocean depths. And He is able to preserve and restore what He has made.
Ecuador isn’t the only place where healthy corals abound. In 2021, a pristine coral reef was found off the coast of Tahiti in French Polynesia. French photographer Alexis Rosenfeld said seeing rose corals stretching “as far the eye can see” was “like a work of art.”
May scientists continue to discover more of God’s artwork under the sea.
Why? Coral reefs are a vital part of God’s creation. Every healthy reef found is good news and a reason to thank God.
