Happy Earth Day! Huge coral reef discovered at Amazon river mouth - Polidicks

[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/Z25QLyI.jpg[/img_thumb] [quote]A huge 3,600 sq mile (9,300 sq km) coral reef system has been found below the muddy waters off the mouth of the river Amazon, astonishing scientists, governments and oil companies who have started to explore on top of it. The existence of the[B] 600-mile long reef[/B], which ranges from about 30-120m deep and stretches from French Guiana to Brazil’s Maranhão state, was not suspected because many of the world’s great rivers produce major gaps in reef systems where no corals grow.[/quote] [quote]Its discovery came as a complete surprise, says co-author Patricia Yager, a professor of oceanography and climate change at the University of Georgia. [B]“I was flabbergasted, as were the rest of the 30 oceanographers.[/B] Traditionally, our understanding of reefs has focused on tropical shallow coral reefs which harbour biodiversity that rivals tropical rainforests,” she told The Atlantic.[/quote] [url]http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/22/huge-coral-reef-discovered-at-amazon-river-mouth[/url] Crazy how a 600 mile long ecosystem can go unnoticed for so long. :incredible:

Glad we found it before we killed it.

[QUOTE=_charon;50183186]Glad we found it before we killed it.[/QUOTE] Now we'll get our photos and promptly kill it.

Thank you Earth for this gift. You give even on your birthday.

time to relocate oil drilling

[QUOTE=Map in a box;50183414]time to relocate oil drilling[/QUOTE] In the article it says they're already producing oil on it!

[QUOTE=OvB;50183465]From the article:[/QUOTE] Disgusting

[QUOTE=OvB;50183465]In the article it says they're already producing oil on it![/QUOTE] [I]Of course[/I] they would do something like that so soon after. :/

[QUOTE=BlindSniper17;50183502][I]Of course[/I] they would do something like that so soon after. :/[/QUOTE] From the literature: [quote]Remarkably, 125 exploratory blocks for oil drilling in the Amazon shelf were [B]offered in an international auction in 2013[/B], 35 of which were acquired by domestic and transnational companies.[B] In the past decade[/B], a total of 80 exploratory blocks have been acquired for oil drilling in the study region, 20 of which are already producing. These blocks will soon be producing oil in close proximity to the reefs, but the environmental baseline compiled by the companies and the Brazilian government is still incipient and largely based on sparse museum specimens[/quote] [url]http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/4/e1501252.full[/url] These wells and parcels were already in place. The paper goes on to give advice how harm can be mitigated: [quote]Such large-scale industrial activities present a major environmental challenge, and companies should catalyze a more complete social-ecological assessment of the system before impacts become extensive and conflicts among the stakeholders escalate. The feasibility of oil and gas operations may be assessed by considering environmental and social sensibilities, but even the extent of the overlap of exploratory blocks with sensitive areas remains unclear. The context of great proximity to international waters and to the French border adds complexity.[/quote]

I highly doubt this was not noticed

[QUOTE=_charon;50183186]Glad we found it before it killed us.[/QUOTE] ftfy

[QUOTE=_charon;50183186]Glad we found it before we killed it.[/QUOTE] Being absolutely fair, human interaction is a minute fraction of the issue. the biggest reason currently for the death of reefs is due to global warming, coral is extremely sensitive to its environment and when water gets too warm it bleaches.

Seeing as the Great Barrier Reef is now almost completely ruined, hopefully we can stop this one suffering the same fate.

[QUOTE=No Party Hats;50185671]Being absolutely fair, human interaction is a minute fraction of the issue. the biggest reason currently for the death of reefs is due to global warming, coral is extremely sensitive to its environment and when water gets too warm it bleaches.[/QUOTE] Remind me again, what is a major contributing factor to global warming?

[QUOTE=MADmarine;50185841]Seeing as the Great Barrier Reef is now almost completely ruined, hopefully we can stop this one suffering the same fate.[/QUOTE] Like hell, oil companies are already surveying the site. It's almost like they intend to leave nothing intact for future generations.

[QUOTE=shakey42;50185919]Remind me again, what is a major contributing factor to global warming?[/QUOTE] Youre misunderstanding me brother, im saying the physical presence of human industry isnt the core issue