{"id":696,"date":"2026-04-15T05:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T04:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/scientists-discover-giant-1347-square-meter-coral-in-the-pacific-ocean\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T05:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T04:25:16","slug":"scientists-discover-giant-1347-square-meter-coral-in-the-pacific-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/scientists-discover-giant-1347-square-meter-coral-in-the-pacific-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Discover Giant 1,347-Square-Meter Coral in the Pacific Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Renowned for its remarkable biodiversity, the Mariana archipelago is home to some rather impressive corals. Recently, researchers from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) described a record-breaking specimen.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Record Coral<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As explained in the organization\u2019s press release, this striking formation, located near the Maug Islands, had previously been known only to locals. As part of the national coral reef monitoring program, its teams had the opportunity to study it for the first time. \u201c<em>It was so imposing that simply measuring it posed a challenge for our divers<\/em>,\u201d notes Thomas Oliver of NOAA.<\/p>\n<section class=\"incontent-related\"><span class=\"incontent-related__title\">Read also<\/span> <span class=\"incontent-related__desc\">In Var, a third outbreak of electric ants detected and a new treatment approved to curb their spread<\/span><\/section>\n<p>With a total area reaching 1,347 square meters, it is the largest <strong>Porites <\/strong><em>coral<\/em> (with a hard, calcareous skeleton) ever documented. At its base, it spans 62 meters in diameter, compared with 31 meters at its apex, which, by coincidence, matches the size of the European Ariane 6 rocket.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike other types of corals, it does not possess clearly defined growth rings (which would allow precise age estimation). However, it is known that <em>Porites<\/em> grow by roughly one centimeter per year, suggesting that this specimen is at least 2,050 years old.<\/p>\n<p>This record specimen sits at the heart of a volcanic caldera dotted with vents that release significant amounts of carbon dioxide, contributing to the acidification of the underwater environment and impacting marine life. \u201c<em>This contrast highlights the exceptional nature of the Maug Islands<\/em>,\u201d says Hannah Barkley, also with NOAA. \u201cYou have these dead zones near the vents, and nearby a resilient and thriving mega coral.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"incontent-related\"><span class=\"incontent-related__title\">Read also<\/span> <span class=\"incontent-related__desc\">A 2025 study proves that one third of highly playful dogs suffer from a true behavioral addiction<\/span><\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"730\" height=\"487\" src=\"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776227114_959_Scientists-Discover-Giant-1347-Square-Meter-Coral-in-the-Pacific-Ocean.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1005477\"  ><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Other Underwater Giants<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>By the end of 2024, diving in the southwestern Pacific had led to the discovery of the world\u2019s largest coral.<\/p>\n<p>Composed of a billion genetically identical polyps acting as a single organism, this colony of <em>Pavona clavus<\/em>, about 300 years old, proved larger than a blue whale: 34 meters long and 32 meters wide.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, a colossal coral reef, around 20 million years old and measuring nearly half a kilometer in height, had been identified off the coast of Australia.<\/p>\n<section class=\"incontent-related\"><span class=\"incontent-related__title\">Read also<\/span> <span class=\"incontent-related__desc\">71 years old and all his teeth: Romeo is officially the oldest manatee on record<\/span><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[923,924,24,536,565,413,294],"class_list":["post-696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-1347squaremeter","tag-coral","tag-discover","tag-giant","tag-ocean","tag-pacific","tag-scientists","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":698,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696\/revisions\/698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}