by Climate Spotlight
Recently, citizen scientist Sophie Kalkowshi-Pope and her mother, Jan Pope, stumbled upon a single coral colony spanning 111 meters during a routine monitoring dive at the Great Barrier Reef.
“I knew right from the minute we dropped in that it was something special,” said Sophie Kalkowshi-Pope. “My mum and I dive from our family boat, and taking part in the Great Barrier Reef Census has given us the opportunity to really explore the full scale of what was there.”
Preliminary measurements estimate that the coral colony stretches 3,973 square meters — about the size of a football (soccer) field. The discovery was verified and mapped using coordinated in-water measurements, surface photogrammetry, and 3D spatial modelling.
“When I got in the water, I’d never seen coral growing like this before,” she said. “It looked like a meadow of coral. It just went on and on,” Kalkowshi-Pope said.
The discovery of this super colony highlights the importance of large-scale monitoring and community-led reef conservation. In Belize, organizations like Fragments of Hope have been practicing this model for years — restoring and monitoring reefs across Belize and, importantly, empowering community members with the skills and knowledge to carry out this work.
The secrets held by the oceans are innumerable. This discovery goes to show we have no idea what could be hiding under our noses in the great blue.
