Coral reef system found below the muddy waters off the mouth of the river Amazon
Q. Corals mostly thrive in clear, sunlit, salt water. Recently a coral reef system was found at- Published on 27 Apr 16a. Krishna Godavari Delta
b. Mouth of Amazon River
c. Near Andaman and Nicobar Islands
d. In midst of the Nile river
ANSWER: Mouth of Amazon River
- A huge 9,300 sq km coral reef system has been found below the muddy waters off the mouth of the river Amazon, astonishing scientists.
- The existence of the 600-mile-long (nearly 966 kilometer) reef, which ranges from about 30-120 m deep and stretches from French Guiana to Brazil’s Maranhao state, was not suspected because many of the world’s great rivers produce major gaps in reef systems where no corals grow.
- In addition, there was little previous evidence because corals mostly thrive in clear, sunlit, salt water, and the equatorial waters near the mouth of the Amazon are some of the muddiest in the world, with vast quantities of sediment washed thousands of miles down the river and swept hundreds of miles out to sea.
- But the reef appears to be thriving below the freshwater “plume,” or outflow, of the Amazon. Compared to many other reefs, the scientists say in a recent paper in Science Advances , it is relatively “impoverished.” Nevertheless, they found over 60 species of sponges, 73 species of fish, spiny lobsters, stars and much other reef life.
