Deepwater coral ecosystems occur along the southeastern coast of the United States from North Carolina to the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

Areas where they have been identified along the southeast Atlantic coast include the North Carolina Lophelia mounds—three mound systems represent the northernmost deepwater coral ecosystems in the South Atlantic Bight; Stetson Reefs—hundreds of pinnacles up to 152 meters tall at depths of 640 to 900 meters on the eastern Blake Plateau off South Carolina; Savannah Lithoherms—numerous lithoherms at depths of 490 to 550 meters with up to 60-meter vertical relief;  East Florida Lophelia Reefs—hundreds of coral formations up to 152 meters tall at depths of 600 to 870 meters along the shelf margin from southern Georgia to the Straits of Florida; and the Miami and Pourtalès Terraces—remnants of rock formations and escarpments extending from Boca Raton to Key West at depths of 200 to 600 meters.

Only a small percentage of these sites has been investigated beyond depth-measuring transects; each new exploratory expedition discovers new sites.  Many more coral sites are likely, and the full extent of topographic features on the Blake Plateau remains unknown. Similarly, the distribution of possible deepwater coral ecosystems along the southern margin of the Florida peninsula south of Miami and along the Florida shelf margin in the Gulf of Mexico are largely uninvestigated.

Click on the albums below to get a glimpse of these unique ecosystems and the scientists who study them.

Deepwater coral ecosystems occur along the southeastern coast of the United States from North Carolina to the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

Areas where they have been identified along the southeast Atlantic coast include the North Carolina Lophelia mounds—three mound systems represent the northernmost deepwater coral ecosystems in the South Atlantic Bight; Stetson Reefs—hundreds of pinnacles up to 152 meters tall at depths of 640 to 900 meters on the eastern Blake Plateau off South Carolina; Savannah Lithoherms—numerous lithoherms at depths of 490 to 550 meters with up to 60-meter vertical relief;  East Florida Lophelia Reefs—hundreds of coral formations up to 152 meters tall at depths of 600 to 870 meters along the shelf margin from southern Georgia to the Straits of Florida; and the Miami and Pourtalès Terraces—remnants of rock formations and escarpments extending from Boca Raton to Key West at depths of 200 to 600 meters.

Only a small percentage of these sites has been investigated beyond depth-measuring transects; each new exploratory expedition discovers new sites.  Many more coral sites are likely, and the full extent of topographic features on the Blake Plateau remains unknown. Similarly, the distribution of possible deepwater coral ecosystems along the southern margin of the Florida peninsula south of Miami and along the Florida shelf margin in the Gulf of Mexico are largely uninvestigated.

Click on the albums below to get a glimpse of these unique ecosystems and the scientists who study them.