The only sea in the world without shore

The Sargasso Sea is landlocked, home to the giant North Pacific garbage patch and located near the Bermuda Triangle.

Sargasso Seaweed. Photo: Ocean Treasures

With no coastline, the Sargasso Sea is characterized by unique boundaries defined by ocean currents rather than land. The sea is also known for its natural and unnatural accumulations of algae and debris, according to IFL Science .

The Sargasso Sea is surrounded by four ocean currents: the North Atlantic Current to the north, the Canary Current to the east, the North Atlantic Equatorial Current to the south, and the Antilles Current to the west. These are called gyres, large circular ocean current systems formed by global winds and the rotation of the Earth, effectively trapping the water within.

The Sargasso Sea gets its name from the special algae that live in the seawater there. Sargasso is a type of macroalgae that floats in large, golden-brown clumps, creating a unique environment in the sea. In fact, the presence of these clumps of floating algae in the middle of the sea has been likened to a “golden rain forest,” providing habitat, feeding and spawning grounds, and migratory corridors for many creatures. For example, the endangered European eel uses the Sargasso Sea to breed. Many species of whales, such as sperm whales and humpback whales, migrate through the sea during their transoceanic journeys.

Sargasso seaweed has been known for a long time. Columbus mentioned it in his 1492 expedition journal. The sighting of the floating seaweed caused fear among his crew. Their ship, the Santa Maria, was stranded in the middle of the ocean for three days due to the lack of wind. The sailors were terrified when they saw the seaweed, which could get stuck to the ship and drag them underwater. The Sargasso Sea is also associated with the Bermuda Triangle, which lies in the southwest of the sea.

Despite its importance to marine life, the Sargasso Sea is under threat from human activity. Not only do ships destroy the environment with noise and chemical pollution, but ocean currents also attract large amounts of plastic waste and other human waste.

Due to the rotation of ocean currents, plastic waste is swept into the Sargasso Sea, forming the North Pacific Garbage Patch, estimated to be hundreds of kilometers wide and with a density of 200,000 pieces of trash per square kilometer. Although many organizations are committed to protecting this unique sea, cleanup efforts are hampered by the challenges associated with plastic waste at sea, threatening life in the area.

An Khang (According to IFL Science )

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