First Images Released of New Coral Reef in Amazon

The first underwater images of a 3,600 square mile (9,500 square km) coral reef system that was discovered last April in the Amazon region have been released by Greenpeace environmentalists, along with a warning that the newfound ecosystem may already been in danger.

According to BBC News, the 620 mile (roughly 1,000 km) long Amazon Reef is located where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean and runs from French Guyana to the Brazilian state of Maranhao, and Greenpeac officials are concerned that it could soon be affected by oil drilling if companies are granted permits by the Brazilian government.

“This reef system is important for many reasons, including the fact that it has unique characteristics regarding use and availability of light, and physicochemical water conditions,” Nils Asp from the Federal University of Pará, one of the authors of the 2016 Science Advances paper reporting on the reef’s discovery, said in a statement. “It has a huge potential for new species, and it is also important for the economic well-being of fishing communities along the Amazonian Coastal Zone.”

“Our team wants to have a better understanding of how this ecosystem works, including important questions like its photosynthesis mechanisms with very limited light,” he added. “Hopefully, this will lead to a gradual mapping of the reef system. At the moment, less than 5% of the ecosystem is mapped.”

Group calling on Brazil to protect surprising coral ecosystem

Asp and his colleagues discovered the Amazon Reef, which ranges from approximately 82-393 feet (25-120 meters) deep, while searching for a submarine launched from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza off the coast of Brazil. The discovery came as a surprise, according to BBC News, as the researchers believed the area was unfavorable to coral growth.

While they are currently working to document, photograph and study the ecosystem, they fear that a pair of petroleum companies, BP and Total, may soon be given permission to drill in the area. According to Greenpeace, the proposed drilling area may potentially contain up to 15 to 20 billion barrels worth of oil reserves, though they fear the damage that an oil spill could cause to the newfound reef.

“We must defend the reef and the entire region at the mouth of the Amazon River basin from the corporate greed that puts profits ahead of the environment,” Thiago Almeida, an activist working at Greenpeace Brazil, said in a statement. “One of Total’s oil blocks is only eight kilometers from the reef, and environmental licensing processes are already under way.”

“After ratifying the Paris Agreement, President Michel Temer declared that the climate issue is an obligation for all governments,” added Almeida. “If Brazil’s commitment is serious, we must prevent the exploration of oil in the region and keep fossil fuels in the ground to avoid climate catastrophe.”

According to Greenpeace, 95 wells have been drilled in the region thus far. Twenty seven of those were abandoned following mechanical incidents, while the others were abandoned due to the lack of economically or technically viable petroleum. In addition to housing the reef system, the Amazon River is the habitat of the endangered river otter, the American manatee, the yellow tortoise and dolphins, the conservation group noted.

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Image credit: Greenpeace

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