The Sargasso Sea is part of this gyre.

The Sargasso Sea got its name from this weed.

These bladders reminded early explorers of a grape they calledsargazo,from which came the name.

sargassum

The seaweed in turn is nourished by the excrement of these organisms.

The currents then carry it around the Florida Peninsula and eventually it ends up in the Sargasso Sea.

Sargassum is also the only seaweed in the world that dont begin life on the seafloor.

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Early explorers regarded the Sargasso Sea with fear because they thought their ships would get stuck in the weed.

But its not the weed that causes ships to suddenly stop moving in the Sargasso Sea.

Its the wind, or the lack of it.

sargassum on beach

Sargasso Sea falls within what is known as the horse latitudes.

This region is characterized by calm winds, foggy nights, and hazy days.

The dead or the dying animals are then thrown overboard.

sargassum on beach

This is but only a theory.

The actual origin of the term horse latitudes is debatable.

In the past decade, the sargassum in the Sargasso Sea has been prolificating rapidly.

sargassum on beach

Large mats of the seaweed now stretches across the North Atlantic, some eight thousand kilometers long.

Scientist call it The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.

A beach in Bavaro, Punta Cana, in Dominican Republic invaded by sargassum seaweed.

sargassum on beach

Image credit:S.Borisov/Shutterstock.com

Image credit:mlstudiodesign/Shutterstock.com

sargassum on beach