Scientists Discover A Massive Coral Reef In Amazon River

Scientists from the United States and Brazil discovered a massive coral reef in the muddy waters at the mouth of the Amazon River. The new coral reef stretches for about 600 miles. It ranges from about 30 to 120 m deep and extends from French Guiana to Brazil's Maranhao state along the border of the South America's continent ridge.

The report was printed in the journal Science on Friday, according to CNN. The discovery is surprising because most of the large river generally makes gaps in reef distribution due to pH and light penetration and unfavorable conditions such as salinity. On the other hand, the researchers find the coral reef system healthy.

The Guardian reports that the researchers were able to find more than 60 species of sponges, spiny lobster, 73 species of fish, stars and other species.

Huge coral reef discovered in the muddy Amazon River: https://t.co/xvjo9IXgpN pic.twitter.com/N5cm4x37Ad

— Nat Geo Photography (@NatGeoPhotos) April 24, 2016

A 600 mile-long coral reef has been found at the mouth of the Amazon River. https://t.co/lTk5FuZkVH pic.twitter.com/AXzohfsuUE — CNN (@CNN) April 23, 2016

"We brought up the most amazing and colorful animals I had ever seen in an expedition," said Patricia Yager, the co-author of the study and the professor of oceanology and climate change at the University of Georgia. She further said she and other 30 oceanographers were stunned. Traditionally, their perception of reefs has focused on tropical shallow coral reefs which protect biodiversity that opposes tropical forests.

The reef is actually in grave danger as the Brazilian government has sold 80 blocks for oil exploration and drilling at the mouth of Amazon. About 20 percent of those are producing oil already and it is thought that they are right on top of the reef. Yager said that from ocean acidification and ocean warming to plans to offshore oil exploration right on top of these new discoveries, the whole system is at risk from human impacts.

The Amazon River is also referred to as "The River Sea" because of its vast dimensions. It is in South America and enters the Atlantic Ocean in north-eastern Brazil. It is about 240 kilometers (150 mi) wide. The mouth of the main stem of Amazon is about 80 kilometers (50 mi). Amazon is the biggest river by discharges of water in the whole world and it is the second in length to Nile River.