新奇事件簿 亚马逊河发现巨型珊瑚礁群（在线收听）

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.

国际科学团队在亚马逊河发现巨大珊瑚礁。为更好了解亚马逊羽流，美国乔治亚大学和里约科学家前往探寻，并意外发现珊瑚礁。羽流区域靠近淡水与海水聚合的河海交汇处。珊瑚礁绵延5800公里，从法属圭亚那延伸至巴西马拉尼昂州。由于亚马逊水质浑浊，且日照不足，盐分不够，这片淡水水域应该是不适宜珊瑚生长，此发现震惊了海洋生物学家。

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."

科学家只探寻了珊瑚的10%。称海绵等海洋生物已适应了“昏暗”环境。他们还记录了73种珊瑚鱼，其中许多为食肉生物。研究学家帕特丽夏·耶格尔博士侃侃而谈起来。她称：“在以往探寻中，我们从未发现过如此奇幻的生物。但这一消息喜忧参半。整片区域已确定进行石油勘探。耶格尔博士警告称：“从海洋酸化到海温升高，再到对珊瑚礁上方进行近海石油勘探，整个生态系统已遭到人类活动威胁。”