Sargasso Sea 578585 224211174 2008-07-07T20:41:31Z SJP 2716074 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/168.166.80.132|168.166.80.132]] to last version by SJP (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{for|the novel by Jean Rhys|Wide Sargasso Sea}} [[Image:North Atlantic Gyre.png|thumb|300px|The ocean currents of the North Atlantic Gyre]] The '''Sargasso Sea''' is an elongated region in the middle of the [[North Atlantic]] Ocean, surrounded by [[ocean currents]]. On the west it is bounded by the [[Gulf Stream]]. On the north, by the [[North Atlantic Current]]; on the east, by the [[Canary Current]]; and on the south, by the [[North Equatorial Current|North Atlantic Equatorial Current]]. This system of currents forms the '''North Atlantic Subtropical [[Gyre]]'''. The Sargasso is roughly 700 [[statute mile]]s wide and 2,000 statute miles long (1,100 [[kilometre|km]] wide and 3,200 km long). It stretches from roughly 70 degrees west to 40 degrees west, and from 25 degrees north to 35 degrees north. [[Bermuda]] is near the western fringes of the sea. The Sargasso Sea is the only "sea" without shores<ref>http://web.mac.com/flintartsed/Homeschool/artreachresources_files/AR2_2_Oct07.pdf Flint Institute of Arts Vol 2 No 2</ref>. == History == [[Portugal|Portuguese]] sailors were among the first to discover this region in the 15th century, although it may have been known to earlier mariners, as a poem by the late 4th century AD author [[Rufus Festus Avienus]] describes a portion of the Atlantic as being covered with seaweed. [[Christopher Columbus]] and his men also noted the Sargasso Sea, and brought reports of the masses of seaweed on the surface. === Connection to Bermuda Triangle === Due to its proximity to [[Bermuda]] (and being in the [[Bermuda Triangle]]), the sea is credited with some of the infamous disappearances there. That stigma is further enforced by the sometimes total lack of wind over the sea, and the possibility for modern engines to become entangled in the [[sargassum]], stranding most vessels. Thus, it is sometimes called the "graveyard of ships." == Ecology == [[Image:anguillamuk.jpg|thumb|An image of the distribution and size of eel larvae shows the approximate location of the Sargasso Sea.]] The very salty Sargasso Sea is sometimes regarded as being lifeless{{Fact|date=June 2008}}, though it is home to some [[seaweed]] of the genus ''[[Sargassum]]''. This seaweed floats en masse on the surface there. The Sargasso Sea also plays a major role in the [[Fish migration|migration]] of the [[European eel]] and the [[American eel]]. The [[leptocephalus|larvae]] of both species hatch there and go to Europe and/or the East Coast of North America. Later in life, they try to return to the Sargasso Sea to lay [[egg (biology)|eggs]]. It is also believed that after hatching, young [[Loggerhead Sea Turtle]]s use currents such as the [[Gulf Stream]] to travel to the Sargasso Sea where they use the Sargassum as cover from predation until they are mature.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7477519.stm</ref> The Sargasso Sea was the subject of a recent [[metagenomics]] effort called the [[Global Ocean Sampling Expedition|Global Ocean Sampling]] (GOS) survey, by [[J. Craig Venter]] and others, to evaluate the diversity of microbial life there. The results have indicated that, unlike previously thought, the area has a wide variety of [[prokaryotic]] life. Due to surface currents, the Sargasso accumulates a higher concentration of [[marine debris|non-biodegradable plastic waste]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/pollution/trash-vortex |title=The trash vortex |accessdate=2008-04-20 |publisher=Greenpeace }}</ref> This huge vortex of garbage is similar to the famed [[Great Pacific Garbage Patch]]. == Folklore == The Sargasso Sea is often portrayed in literature and the media as an area of mystery.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ruth Heller |title=A Sea Within a Sea: Secrets of the Sargasso |year=2000 |publisher=Price Stern Sloan |isbn=978-0448424170 }}</ref> It can be depicted as "sea within a sea" in the midst of the freezing Northern Atlantic ocean. Whirlpool-like currents and/or the seaweed are meant to becalm ships, while other forces can even lead to the disappearance of airplanes in the segment of it that is called the [[Bermuda Triangle]]. [[Edwin Corley]]'s novel ''Sargasso'' revolves around [[Apollo 19]] splashing down in the Sargasso sea empty. == References == <references/> ==See also== *[[Bermuda Triangle]] *[[Global Ocean Sampling Expedition]] *[[Eel life history]] {{Oceanic gyres}} <!-- dead link, no other links ==External links== The Sargasso Sea is a favored region for scientific observation, exploration and research. The [http://www.bbsr.edu/Labs/hanselllab/s2o2/s2o2mainpage.html Sargasso Sea Ocean Observatory] (S2O2) was formed in 2001 to coordinate these various efforts. --> {{coor title dms|28|20|08|N|66|10|30|W|type:waterbody}} [[Category:Marginal seas of the Atlantic Ocean]] [[Category:Seas]] [[Category:Bermuda Triangle]] [[be:Саргасава мора]] [[bg:Саргасово море]] [[ca:Mar dels Sargassos]] [[cs:Sargasové moře]] [[da:Sargassohavet]] [[de:Sargassosee]] [[et:Sargasso meri]] [[el:Θάλασσα των Σαργασσών]] [[es:Mar de los Sargazos]] [[fr:Mer des Sargasses]] [[he:ים סרגסו]] [[is:Þanghafið]] [[it:Mar dei Sargassi]] [[lv:Sargasu jūra]] [[lt:Sargaso jūra]] [[ml:സരഗാസോ കടല്‍]] [[nl:Sargassozee]] [[ja:サルガッソ海]] [[no:Sargassohavet]] [[pl:Morze Sargassowe]] [[pt:Mar dos Sargaços]] [[ro:Marea Sargaselor]] [[ru:Саргассово море]] [[sk:Sargasové more]] [[fi:Sargassomeri]] [[sv:Sargassohavet]] [[th:ทะเลซาร์กาสโซ]] [[uk:Саргасове море]] [[zh:马尾藻海]]