Gulf of Maine coral research cited in Free Press article
The Free Press published an article on cold-water coral formations in the Gulf of Maine. Since 2013 scientists funded through NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program have been conducting research cruises in the Gulf of Maine using remotely controlled underwater vehicles and multibeam sonar to identify cold-water coral communities, according to the article. This year during a 10-day research cruise, scientists from several institutions including the University of Maine looked at three areas: Outer Schoodic Ridge, the Mount Desert Rock area and the Georges Basin region. A site on Outer Schoodic Ridge showed dense coral and sponges along the bottom and on the steep vertical walls, and in the Mount Desert Rock area scientists found two coral walls brimming with red tree coral, fan coral and multiple species of sponge. At the base of the slope stretching from Georges Bank into Georges Basin, what corals the researchers did find were tucked into crevices and cracks along the walls, the article states.