Even though the Amazon River and the ocean seem very different—the river is freshwater while the ocean is salty, the ocean is vast and deep compared to the Amazon—they are closely connected. The Amazon River carries rainwater that lands in the Amazon rainforest, covering some 2.1 million square miles, into the ocean. And with it, it carries vital nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon. These nutrients feed a huge algae bloom where the Amazon River meets the ocean, providing a source of food and life to the region. Learn more about this Amazonian algae bloom in a video from Ocean180.