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(Image: spadre) |
Sargasso Seaweed, also known as seahorse algae, is a type of seaweed. Typically, seaweed has roots and grows on rocky substrates at the ocean floor. However, seahorse algae in the Atlantic Ocean are different; they lack roots and their entire structure resembles a soft, spongy foam, floating on the sea. In the eastern part of the Bermuda Triangle, located between 20-40 degrees North latitude and 35-75 degrees West longitude, there is an elliptical area of ocean approximately 4.5 million km2 wide, filled with seahorse algae. Thus, it is referred to as the Sargasso Sea.
Historically, many adventurers have ventured into the Sargasso Sea, only to become ensnared by the Sargasso algae, rendering them unable to escape. As supplies of food and fresh water dwindled, sailors faced dire consequences. Hence, the Sargasso Sea is often called the “graveyard of the sea” and the “devil’s sea.”
The Sargasso Sea has unique climatic conditions, with a year-round lack of wind and very weak ocean currents. The water is stable and calm, with layers of water that hardly mix. Consequently, food in these water layers does not renew, and plankton is 2/3 less abundant than in other ocean areas. As a result, larger marine animals and fish are almost entirely absent, while shrimp, fish, clams, and oysters exhibit unusual colors and shapes. In contrast, Sargasso algae thrive remarkably well, transforming this sea area into a vast marine prairie.
Interestingly, Sargasso algae here appear and disappear mysteriously. Many research expeditions have come to this region only to find no trace of the Sargasso algae. After some time, however, they suddenly reappear everywhere. Why does a vast area of ocean, with no wind and no convection between water layers, suddenly see the Sargasso algae vanish and then reappear? To this day, scientists have not been able to explain this phenomenon.
Sargasso algae often suddenly disappear and then reappear
(Image: Visualsunlimited)
