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Diver surveying corals in Pohnpei © Emre Turak

Day 1: The Survey Starts

Into the Deep Blue Water

I’ve been in beautiful Pohnpei, one of the wettest and greenest places on Earth for a week. I’m helping coral specialists Emre Turak from France and Lyndon DeVantier from Australia, who are checking the health of the coral reefs and looking for new coral species communities.

Emre and Lyndon have been diving around Pohnpei almost every day looking for new coral species and checking the health of the reefs. They’ve been diving in crystal clear waters outside the lagoon, as well as the muddy waters close to the mangroves that fringe the island, and everywhere in between.

Emre and Lyndon have already found corals growing like they have never seen before. In one place, the Porites corals were growing in towers that they estimated to be at least several hundred years old. They have also found corals growing thousands of miles beyond where they were known to live. One coral they found was previously only recorded in Madagascar.

Emre Turak specialises in rapid assessments of coral reefs and has undertaken assessments in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and throughout Australia.

Lyndon DeVantier has lots of experience in biodiversity and ecological assessments and has worked extensively in reefs in Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Red Sea and Yemen as well as the Great Barrier Reef.

Next: Corals suffering from deforestation...

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