An isolated living coral reef was recently found in a Dongsha atoll lagoon area that contains mostly dead coral, raising hopes that the atoll could return to its original appearance, National Park Administration officials said.
The officials said the huge reef — about 8km east of Dongsha Island (東沙島) — has a diameter of more than 100m and its lifeless top looks like many other dead reefs in the area.
After noticing a group of fish appearing near the reef flat, however, researchers decided to investigate and they found a lot more fish and invertebrates inhabiting the reef slope, where massive live corals were also found.
The discovery of the live corals was encouraging, because corals in the Dongsha atoll have been recovering slower than those on the outside of the atoll since the destruction of coral from the effects of El Nino in 1998, park officials said.
They said the park administration would conduct more research into the lagoon’s ecology and seek effective ways to restore it.
The park administration increased the number of underwater investigations after it bought a research boat last year and started to explore the Dongsha atoll lagoon area this year, officials said.
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