China's first coral reef blue hole — a large natural depression on the ocean floor — has been identified in the waters off Huangyan Island in the South China Sea, and it has emerged as a biodiversity hot spot, according to a report released on Thursday.

根据6月25日发布的一份报告，中国首个珊瑚礁蓝洞——一种大型海底自然凹陷——已在南海黄岩岛附近海域被确认，并且这里已成为一个生物多样性热点区域。

Environmental DNA technology has helped scientists detect more than 2,700 marine species in and around the blue hole, which was first spotted by a scientific observation team in August last year in the central area of a lagoon, said the 2025 Survey Report on Huangyan Dao Blue Hole released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
生态环境部发布的《2025年黄岩岛蓝洞调查报告》称，环境DNA技术已帮助科学家在蓝洞及其周边区域检测到超过2700种海洋生物。该蓝洞于去年8月由一支科学观测团队在潟湖中部区域首次发现。

Based on their genesis, these underwater sinkholes can be categorized into two types — one formed through limestone dissolution and the other formed by coral reefs, with the latter considered a rare phenomenon worldwide.
根据成因，这些水下陷坑可分为两类——一类由石灰岩溶蚀形成，另一类由珊瑚礁形成，后者在全球范围内被视为罕见现象。

Preliminary geochronological studies suggest that the Huangyan blue hole formed at least 3,200 years ago and developed in a high-density patch reef area within the lagoon, the report said. The sinkhole is shaped like a funnel, with a surface diameter of 56.3 meters and a depth of 16.6 meters. The surface area of the blue hole is 1,491.7 square meters.
报告称，初步的地质年代学研究显示，黄岩岛蓝洞至少形成于3200年前，发育于潟湖内一个高密度斑礁区域。该陷坑呈漏斗状，表层直径56.3米，深度16.6米。蓝洞表面积达1491.7平方米。

Typical coral reef biological communities are thriving inside the blue hole, including different species of fish, giant clams, sponges and sea anemones. The green sea turtle, which is a Class I protected wildlife species in China, has been observed inhabiting the blue hole and its surrounding waters.
蓝洞内部繁衍生息着典型的珊瑚礁生物群落，包括多种鱼类、巨蛤、海绵和海葵。属于中国国家一级保护野生动物的绿海龟也被观察到栖息在蓝洞及其周边水域。

Field surveys in the surrounding waters over the past two years have recorded 165 species of hard corals, belonging to 14 families and 44 genera, and 184 species of fish, belonging to 27 families and 85 genera.
过去两年对周边水域的实地调查已记录到165种硬珊瑚，分属14科44属，以及184种鱼类，分属27科85属。

The report said this coral reef blue hole serves as a vivid testament to the natural ecosystem diversity of Huangyan Island and a key geological archive for reconstructing paleo environmental changes in the South China Sea, including sea-level fluctuations and the impacts of global and regional climate change.
报告称，这一珊瑚礁蓝洞生动地体现了黄岩岛自然生态系统的多样性，也是重建南海古环境变化（包括海平面波动及全球和区域气候变化的影响）的关键地质档案。

The blue hole can provide critical insights into the geological evolution of the Huangyan region, as well as biodiversity and environmental changes in the South China Sea since the Holocene epoch, it said.
报告指出，该蓝洞可为黄岩地区的地质演化以及全新世以来南海生物多样性和环境变化提供重要参考。

The sinkhole offers essential scientific support for understanding the formation, evolutionary mechanisms and ecological effects of this unique marine ecosystem, the report added.
报告补充说，这一陷坑为了解这一独特海洋生态系统的形成、演化机制及生态效应提供了必要的科学支撑。

Pei Xiaofei, a spokesman for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said the results of the survey highlight the progress China has made in its ecological protection efforts in the surrounding waters of the island, which is firmly underpinned by the establishment of the Huangyan Island national nature reserve in September 2025.
生态环境部发言人裴晓菲表示，此次调查结果凸显了中国在黄岩岛周边海域生态保护方面取得的进展，而2025年9月黄岩岛国家自然保护区的设立为此提供了坚实保障。

The ministry will conduct "more in-depth, systematic and comprehensive research" on the blue hole to provide scientific support for further enhancing ecosystem and biodiversity conservation in the South China Sea, Pei added.
裴晓菲补充说，生态环境部将对蓝洞开展“更深入、更系统、更全面的研究”，为进一步加强南海生态系统和生物多样性保护提供科学支撑。

geochronological /ˌdʒiːəʊˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl/地质年代学的

high-density patch reef /haɪ ˈdensəti pætʃ riːf/高密度斑礁

funnel /ˈfʌnəl/漏斗状

giant clam /ˈdʒaɪənt klæm/巨蛤

sea anemone /siː əˈneməni/海葵

green sea turtle /ɡriːn siː ˈtɜːtəl/绿海龟

Class I protected wildlife species /klɑːs wʌn prəˈtektɪd ˈwaɪldlaɪf ˈspiːʃiːz/国家一级保护野生动物

hard coral /hɑːd ˈkɒrəl/硬珊瑚