Brazil oil spill response: protect rhodolith beds

In his News In Depth story “Mystery oil spill threatens marine sanctuary in Brazil” (8 November 2019, p. 672), H. Escobar highlights important ecosystems that have been affected by the spill. However, he did not mention the Brazilian rhodolith beds—the most extensive, abundant, and diverse biogenic carbonate habitats in the South Atlantic (1). The oil spill severely threatens these ecosystems, which comprise a staggering 2 x 1011 tons of carbonatic bank (2), stretch from 5°N to 27°S along the Brazilian coast, and cover a seabed potential area of 229,000 km2 (1).