Amazon River Plume (IMAGE) University of Georgia Caption The Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean and creates a plume where freshwater and salt water mix. The plume affects a broad area of the tropical North Atlantic Ocean in terms of salinity, pH, light penetration and sedimentation, conditions that usually correlate to a major gap in Western Atlantic reefs. Credit Lance Willis Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.