The Blake Plateau
Wild Cumberland has always believed that extending protections (or establishing new protected areas) is critical to protecting our existing Wilderness.
We’re proud to demonstrate our support for protection of an area known as the Blake Plateau.
The Blake Plateau is an elongated, relatively flat expanse of the continental shelf along the southeastern coast. It features more than 200 species of deep-sea corals and enormous cold-water coral mounds; its expansive seaweed meadows are critical for the sea turtles that nest on Cumberland Island’s shores.
At 6.4 million acres, the Blake Plateau is bigger than the state of Vermont. It is also the deepest coral habitat to be discovered to date (1,970 – 2,625 feet below the surface) and only accessible by underwater vehicles.
More Resources:
- Learn more
- Take action
- Explore maps here and here
- Image gallery
- Blake Plateau Mapping Q&A with Dr. Derek Sowers
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/largest-ever-deep-sea-coral-reef-mapped-once-thought-mostly-uninhabited/
- https://hakaimagazine.com/videos-visuals/in-graphic-detail-deep-sea-mining-in-the-united-states/
- The research https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7418/4/1/2
FAQ
How did the Blake Plateau get its name?
In the late 1880s, there was a steamer ship called the Blake that completed several oceanographic expeditions along the southeastern coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Its deep-sea trawls led to the discovery of coral species along the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It had previously been considered barren.
Source: https://www.blakeplateau.com/blog/fun-fact-the-origin-of-the-name-blake-plateau
Did You Know?
Some corals grow only millimeters a year and all are highly vulnerable to disturbance. This means the Blake Plateau likely took tens of thousands of years to develop.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary:
Tentative timeline:
A condition report for Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary is expected to be released this winter (2024).The review of the management plan will begin this fall with the public comment process expected to begin in early 2025.