A Decade-Long Experiment Is Unlocking the Mysteries of the Ocean’s ‘Deep Reefs’

This story originallyappeared onVoxand is part of theClimate Deskcollaboration.

On a bright,sunny day last May, I stood on a boat surrounded by the turquoise waters of theisland nation of Palau. I was there in the western Pacific watching scuba divers as they prepared to bring up evidence of a mysterious aquatic world.

Palau is famous for its spectacular and richcoral reefs. But these divers were planning to descend past those sun-lit marine communities and down into a lesser-known twilight zone known as the “mesophotic coral ecosystem.”