Abrolhos Bank - Brazil

The Abrolhos Bank is located along the eastern Brazilian coast and is characterized by an enlargement of the Brazilian shelf (~46.000 km2), reaching approximately 200 km in width. The Abrolhos Bank encompasses three main megahabitats and a complex bathymetry. Rhodolith beds comprise the largest megahabitat, with 20,904 km² (43% of the mapped area), followed by unconsolidated sediments' megahabitat covering 19,151 km2 (39%) and by the reefal megahabitat with 8844 km2 (18%). Rhodolith beds and unconsolidated sediments are topographically less complex and form larger continuous extensions when compared to the reefal megahabitat, which is structurally complex and more patchily configured, even when examined at the regional scale.