新奇事件簿 亞馬遜河發(fā)現(xiàn)巨型珊瑚礁群

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An international team of scientists has discovered a huge coral reef in the Amazon River. The team from the universities of Georgia in the USA and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil was on an expedition to learn more about Amazon River plumes when it made the discovery. Plumes are the areas close to where a river meets the sea and the river's freshwater mixes with the saltwater of the ocean. The reef system spans an area of 5,800 square kilometres, stretching from the coast of French Guiana to the rainforest of the Brazilian state of Maranhao. The finding has surprised marine biologists because reefs are rarely found in large rivers as the water is usually too muddy and dark, and does not contain enough salt.

國際科學團隊在亞馬遜河發(fā)現(xiàn)巨大珊瑚礁。為更好了解亞馬遜羽流，美國喬治亞大學和里約科學家前往探尋，并意外發(fā)現(xiàn)珊瑚礁。羽流區(qū)域靠近淡水與海水聚合的河海交匯處。珊瑚礁綿延5800公里，從法屬圭亞那延伸至巴西馬拉尼昂州。由于亞馬遜水質(zhì)渾濁，且日照不足，鹽分不夠，這片淡水水域應該是不適宜珊瑚生長，此發(fā)現(xiàn)震驚了海洋生物學家。

The scientists only explored 10 per cent of the reef. They said there were many sponges, creatures and other marine life that had adapted to life in the darker waters. They also recorded 73 species of reef fish, many of them carnivorous. Researcher Dr. Patricia Yager enthused about what she had seen. She said: "We brought up the most amazing and colorful animals I have ever seen on an expedition." Sadly, not all news about the reef is good. The whole area has been earmarked for oil exploration. Dr Yager warned that: "From ocean acidification and ocean warming to plans for offshore oil exploration right on top of these new discoveries, the whole system is at risk from human impacts."

科學家只探尋了珊瑚的10%。稱海綿等海洋生物已適應了“昏暗”環(huán)境。他們還記錄了73種珊瑚魚，其中許多為食肉生物。研究學家帕特麗夏·耶格爾博士侃侃而談起來。她稱：“在以往探尋中，我們從未發(fā)現(xiàn)過如此奇幻的生物。但這一消息喜憂參半。整片區(qū)域已確定進行石油勘探。耶格爾博士警告稱：“從海洋酸化到海溫升高，再到對珊瑚礁上方進行近海石油勘探，整個生態(tài)系統(tǒng)已遭到人類活動威脅。”