The Sargasso Sea is so named because of its large amounts of Sargassum algae.
The Sargasso Sea is a section of the North Atlantic Ocean that is noted for being unusually flat and calm, thanks to a few tricks of the region’s ocean currents. This section of the Atlantic has become quite famous and is surrounded by mysterious stories and speculation. The truth behind the Sargasso Sea is almost as interesting as all the stories about it, as this region, which should be a kind of desert in the ocean, is actually teeming with life.
The Sargasso Sea plays an important role in the reproductive cycle of eels.
This geographical feature owes its name to the large amount of Sargassum algae that float on its surface. This algae is also known as gulf algae. The Sargasso Sea is washed by the Gulf Stream, which surrounds the region along with several other currents, creating an area of strange stillness in the middle of the Atlantic.
One of the biggest myths about the Sargasso Sea is that seaweed entangles ships, and it is certainly true that several abandoned ships have been found floating in this area. However, it is not the algae that hold them, it is the lack of wind. This sea is located in one of the areas of the ocean known as calms, where a relative lack of wind can catch a sailboat. Sargasso is also close to the Bermuda Triangle, a notorious Atlantic region, which perhaps added to the mystique of the area.
Christopher Columbus may have been the first explorer to interact with the Sargasso Sea.
Since the Sargasso Sea is relatively flat and calm, with the ocean floor far below it, scientists expected it to be devoid of life. Sargassum is an obvious contradiction to this theory, and scientific research in the area has revealed incredibly diverse life forms at the microscopic level. This puzzled scientists until they realized that deeper ocean currents beneath the region provided nutrients, making it a rich and abundant part of the ocean.
The North Atlantic Ocean contains the Sargasso Sea.
The Sargasso Sea also plays a prominent role in the reproductive cycle of eels. North American and European eels return there to lay eggs, and glass eels, or young eels, slowly make their way from the Sargasso Sea back to their parents’ homes in a truly remarkable journey.