A Strange Sea That Reaches No Shore: The Secrets and Threats of the Sargasso Sea

When we think of the sea, the image of beaches and coastlines is evoked in our mind; But the Sargasso Sea is a unique phenomenon in the world that is not connected to land. Located in the North Atlantic Ocean, this sea is surrounded by ocean currents instead of a coast.

Sargasso is known as an ecologically important and even mythical spot with its special features, including the presence of sea plants, the unpleasant smell of sargassum, as well as the “garbage island of the North Atlantic”. However, climate change and human pollution threaten this unique ecosystem and have far-reaching effects on other marine systems.

Sargasso is located in the North Atlantic Ocean. The surface of this sea is covered with a layer of brown and yellow smelly algae called “sargassum” and a monstrous man-made island known as the “North Atlantic Garbage Island” has formed in it. However, this sea has great environmental, historical and even cultural importance.

_{Photo source: msn website Photographer: Unknown}

The special organization set up to protect this unique sea has declared it a “refuge for biodiversity” that plays a vital role in the wider North Atlantic ecosystem. The Sargasso Sea Commission has announced that endangered species of eels come to the sea to breed, and whales, especially humpback and sperm whales, migrate there, along with tuna and other fish species. The sea also plays a key role in the life cycle of several threatened and endangered species, including the porbeagle shark and several types of turtles.

According to the famous marine biologist, “Dr. Sylvia Earle”, this sea is like a “rainforest and floating gold”. This sea is not only legendary for oceanographers; It has also become a part of public culture. Christopher Columbus was the first person to mention this strange sea and sargassum plants in his 1492 memoirs. He wrote of his sailors fearing that the algae might trap them and drag them to the bottom of the sea, or that the calm and still winds (doldrums) they encountered in the Sargasso Sea would prevent them from returning to Spain.

These fears remained part of the legends of this sea for centuries, and its infamous reputation was further enhanced by its association with the Bermuda Triangle. The Bermuda Triangle, known as an area where planes and ships disappear suddenly and without reason, is located in the southwestern Sargasso region between Bermuda, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

Four major ocean currents have shaped the Sargasso Sea, including the North Atlantic Ocean Current in the north, the Canary Islands Current in the east, the North Equatorial Atlantic Current in the south, and the Antillean Current in the west. These circular currents, which are called ocean gyres, practically trap the water of this sea inside, and as a result, what Jules Verne in his novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” described as “a perfect lake in the Atlantic Ocean”. had remembered, it is created; However, these days this lake is far from what it should be.

The Sargasso Sea is now under serious threats from shipping, including underwater noise, damage to the Sargassum cover and chemical releases, overfishing, pollution from floating debris and, of course, climate change. Due to the swirling movements of the ocean currents, the plastics are dragged out to sea and join the ugly and vast garbage dump that has formed there. This huge relic of destructive human methods is estimated to be hundreds of kilometers wide and its density reaches 200,000 pieces of garbage per square kilometer; However, the situation is deteriorating.

A new study published on December 8 found that the sea has become warmer, saltier and more acidic than at any time since records began in 1954, and this could have serious and far-reaching effects on other marine systems. Lead author of the report, chemical oceanographer Nicholas Bates, warned that the ocean is now experiencing its warmest period in “millions and millions of years”, which could lead to serious changes in local marine life and the global water cycle. Speaking to the LiveScience website, Professor Bates acknowledged that global warming may have reached a point of no return for a long time.

_{Cover photo source: msn website Photographer: Unknown}