Amazon Reef: First images of new coral system

The first pictures of a huge coral reef system
discovered in the Amazon last year have been
released by environmental campaigners.
The Amazon Reef is a 9,500 sq km (3,600 sq
miles) system of corals, sponges and rhodoliths,
Greenpeace says.
The reef is almost 1,000 km (620 miles) long, and
is located where the Amazon River meets the
Atlantic Ocean.
Oil drilling could start in the area if companies
obtain permits from the Brazilian government, the
group warns .
"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,"
researcher Nils Asp, from the Federal University of
Para, 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."
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Scientists were surprised by the discovery, in
April 2016, as they thought it was unlikely that
reefs would be found it the area given
unfavourable conditions," they said in a paper in
the scientific journal Science Advances.
The reef ranges from about 25-120m deep
(82-393ft)
Mr Asp now says that his team wants to
gradually map the system. At the moment, only
5% of it has been mapped.
"Our team wants to have a better understanding
of how this ecosystem works, including important
questions like its photosynthesis mechanisms
with very limited light."
But Greenpeace says drilling in the area means a
"constant risk of an oil spill".
Campaigner Thiago Almeida said environmental
licensing processes for oil exploration there are
already under way.
"The Cape Orange National Park, the
northernmost point of the Brazilian state of
Amapa, is home to the world's largest continuous
mangrove ecosystem and there is no technology
capable of cleaning up oil in a place of its
characteristics," the group said.
"In addition, the risks in this area are increased
due to the strong currents and sediment that the
Amazon River carries."
The group said that, so far, 95 wells have been
drilled in the region, and 27 of them were
abandoned as a result of mechanical incidents -
the rest due to the absence of economically or
technically viable gas and oil.