Top 10 interesting facts about the Sargasso Sea

From the point of view of well-known geography, the Sargasso Sea cannot be called a sea, but it is so unique that it has been given this status. This territory has been known for a very long time, but Christopher Columbus described it in detail. Since that time, the waters of this area have been famous for the presence of secrets and mysticism. The sailors tried to avoid it and told many legends and myths.

The Sargasso Sea is still considered one of the most mysterious places on our planet. Everything in it is unique: the appearance, the inhabitants and the temperature of the water.

But the most mysterious thing in this territory is the Bermuda Triangle or the Devil’s Triangle, which everyone has heard about more than once and which baffles even the most famous scientists. Many are trying to solve this riddle and understand why so many people disappear without a trace in this place.

The article presents interesting facts about the Sargasso Sea, which will be a discovery for many ordinary people.

10 Named for algae

When Christopher Columbus discovered this sea, he gave it a funny name, which translates as “jar of seaweed“. This is all from the fact that the bottom of the sea is completely covered with algae. The bottom resembles a flooded meadow with grass that is not found anywhere else. There are two tons of algae per square kilometer.

What is most surprising, the variety of these plants is the same and this number is no longer found on the planet. Sailors from Portugal called them “sargasso”. The algae are propelled by balloons that look like a famous Portuguese grape variety.

Sea plants are decorated with berries, which Columbus’ ships coveted. But these berries are not fruits, and therefore even more like wild grapes.

9. The largest sea in the world

Among the many existing seas on the planet, Sargasso is considered the largest. Its length cannot be accurately named due to the blurry boundaries and the lack of sandy shores. But the approximate area is 6-7 million km².

The deepest water point reaches almost 7 meters. Among the dozens of seas, there are reservoirs that are only slightly inferior to the Sargasso Sea.

8. Has no shores

This is a one of a kind sea. The fact is that the seas familiar to us are shrouded in continents, while Sargasso has only oceanic boundaries, and they are fickle.

But the properties of this water area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean so impressed scientists that they isolated them and called them the Sargasso Sea. This territory borders on the Atlantic currents.

7. The water mass rotates clockwise

At first glance, it seems that the sea has stagnant waters. But in fact, they are pushed from all sides by different currents, so it rotates clockwise (anticyclonic flow). All water in the Sargasso Sea is in dynamic motion and it was formed with warm surface waters.

Even in winter, the temperature never drops below +16 degrees, and in some places it stays up to +28 degrees. It was here that the most powerful circulation of ocean currents turned out, which in turn creates even more unexpected additional whirlpools.

6. Ecological problems

Today, the Sargasso Sea is one of the most polluted places on the planet. Strong ocean currents have formed a real garbage dump in the middle of the sea. Plastic is bad for all marine life. They mistake bright garbage for food and get poisoning incompatible with life.

Those who want to choose the Sargasso Sea for relaxation should be prepared for a marsh calm in impenetrable algae, sudden underwater whirlwinds and a huge amount of debris on the surface of the water. But environmentalists are closely involved in this problem and, hopefully, they will be able to solve it soon.

5. Small variety of living beings

Only 60 species of marine life live in such a huge area and depth.. The water here is very warm even in winter. At a depth of almost 500 meters, the water temperature is +17, which is unusual even for tropical inhabitants. All this has affected phytoalgae, which are the basis of the underwater food chain.

A small amount of microvegetation has become the reason for the absence of zooplankton and, as a result, poor fauna. But it is worth noting that unique living creatures were able to adapt to such waters. And thanks to the small number of inhabitants, the waters of the Sargasso Sea are incredibly transparent – visibility is up to 60 meters.

4. Vessels died during the calm, not the storm

Thousands of years ago, the sea was nicknamed “ship graveyard” and for good reason, many boats were dragged away by huge underwater whirlwinds. Due to strong temperature drops (from +17 to +28), unexpected underwater vortices form in the water.

Even in the time of Christopher Columbus, sailors complained about this area. Poorly passable algae became another cause of complaints. The sea was washed by a strong ocean current, while inside there was complete calm.

History knows hundreds of cases when sailors died of hunger and thirst, only because they had to endure calm among the endless waters of the ocean for a long time.

3. There were no military operations in the territory

Sailors have always been famous for their courage, because going to the navy meant putting yourself in great danger. In addition to hostilities, many died from lack of vitamins and seasickness.

But naval battles are an integral part of almost all military operations. History knows many naval battles that took place in the seas and oceans, but not a single battle was recorded in the Sargasso Sea.

2. Sea level per meter – two above the level of the surrounding ocean

Another incredible phenomenon was the the fact that sea level is a meter or two above the ocean. This is due to the fact that ocean water is forced into the Sargasso Sea along the entire perimeter, while its own waters first sink to the bottom.

The rapid current plays the role of a kind of border and does not allow warm sea waters to mix with the cold ocean current. This unique sea has no outgoing cold currents, and therefore the temperature at the same depths varies so much with the neighboring ocean. For example, at a depth of 1 meters, sea water has a temperature of +000, while ocean water is only +10.

1. The Bermuda Triangle is in the sea

One of the most unique phenomena of these waters, scientists still cannot unravel – this is Bermuda Triangle. In this place, mysterious disappearances occur not only of ships, but also of aircraft.. The territory was conditionally united into a triangle, the tops of which are the islands: Miami, Bermuda and San Juan, Puerto Rico. This place is also called the Devil’s Triangle.

But many experts respond to the “charges” by saying that the weak ocean waters resemble a kind of desert. The Sargasso Sea is a large whirlpool that spins at a low speed, but forms many powerful eddies within itself. It is this “centrifuge” that drags the ships with great force. But many do not agree with this theory and continue to try to unravel the mysteries of this mystical place.