Recifes da foz do rio Amazonas. Crédito obrigatório: Divulgação/Greenpeace

View first underwater images of Amazon Reef

A recently discovered coral reef system off the Brazilian coast has been photographed.

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Megan Shersby

Published: February 1, 2017 at 6:47 pm

A coral reef found in 2014 has been captured on camera for the first time.

The 9,300km² reef stretches for almost 1,000km in muddy waters where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

The find surprised scientists and the Brazilian government as most corals exist in clear and sunlit waters, and the outflow from great rivers usually creates major gaps in reef systems.

“This reef system is important for many reasons,” said Nils Asp, a researcher at the Federal University of Pará.

“It has a huge potential for new species, and it is also important for the economic well-being of fishing communities.”

Recifes da foz do rio Amazonas. Crédito obrigatório: Divulgação/Greenpeace

Amazon Reef © Greenpeace

The area had already been opened up for oil exploration by the Brazilian government, and a number of oil companies are thought to be interested in drilling for oil there.

Recifes da foz do rio Amazonas. Crédito obrigatório: Divulgação/Greenpeace

Amazon Reef © Greenpeace

Naturalist, writer and content creator

Megan is a naturalist, writer and content creator. She is also a bookworm and a keen board gamer. She is the former editorial and digital co-ordinator at BBC Wildlife, and wrote features and sections for both the print magazine and discoverwildlife.com, including the Q&A and Go Wild sections, Poo Corner and News Species Discovery, the weekly e-newsletter and the social media accounts. Her features have included olms (cave salamanders) in Slovenia, arapaima (very big fish) in Guyana, and the role of hippos as ecosystem engineers in Zambia. She has also contributed to the website and magazine of BBC Countryfile Magazine, and has hosted some its podcast episodes. Prior to joining BBC Wildlife in 2016, she gained a degree in BSc(Hons) Animal Science, undertook behavioural research on zebras and dwarf mongooses, and worked in environmental education for a number of conservation charities.