When people think of the ocean, their first thought may be of the expansive waters and abundant marine life. But Robin Beaman’s interest goes much deeper, figuratively and literally. He is a marine geologist mapping the ocean floor to find what lies beneath the surface. With his team from the Schmidt Ocean Institute, Beaman recently discovered a detached coral reef, the first new one found in 120 years. Using a camera on top of a robot, they were able to bring to light a never-before seen section of the Great Barrier Reef.
When Beaman and his team went out on expedition in 2020, they were not expecting this breakthrough. A detached coral reef is no longer connected to the main body of the Great Barrier Reef, but still bedded to the ocean floor. There are only seven other known detached reefs around this World Heritage Site. “With only 20% of the ocean being mapped, and five percent of it being explored, there is still so much out there for us to learn,” Beaman says. Ocean mapping uses echo sounding to gather information about the depths and heights on the seafloor to be recreated in an accurate 3D render. With the help of SuBastian, their underwater robot, Beaman and his team livestreamed the exploration of the 500-metre tall reef to the world.
Within a week, Beaman’s team got the word out about the new reef in a peer-reviewed journal. His desire to understand the inner workings of all life on Earth is shaping how people see and understand the ocean. “This makes me feel hopeful because it means if we work fast, we can still conserve the ecosystems that exist beneath the sea surface,” Beaman says.
Footage by the Schmidt Ocean Institute was used in the creation of this film.
