The Sargasso Sea

     Look at any map of the Atlantic Ocean and off the east coast of the United States you'll notice and area mark the Sargasso Sea; it's surrounded by water, not land. What is the Sargasso Sea? 

     All other seas in the world are defined at least in part by land boundaries, the Sargasso Sea is defined only by four different ocean currents: Gulf Stream on the west, North Atlantic Current on the north, Canary Current on the east and the North Atlantic Equatorial Current on the south. 

     The Sargasso Sea is distinctive for its deep blue color and exceptional clarity, with underwater visibility of up to 200 feet. The sea is a vast patch of ocean is unique in that it harbors this free floating vegetation which is known as Sargassum; other seaweeds begin life on the floor of the ocean. 

     Sargassum provides a home to an amazing variety of marine species. Turtles use the seaweed as nurseries and it's a habitat for shrimp, crab, fish, and other marine species that have adapted specifically to this floating algae. It's also a spawning site for threatened and endangered eels, as well as white marlin, porbeagle shark, and dolphinfish. Humpback whales annually migrate through the Sargasso Sea. Commercial fish, such as tuna, and birds also migrate through the Sargasso Sea and depend on it for food. 

     In 1492 Christopher Columbus gave the first known written account when he wrote that he feared the seaweed would trap his ship and potentially hide shallow waters in which they could run aground. He also wrote that he feared a lack of wind would trap them. However, the sea was likely known to earlier mariners because a poem by the late fourth century author Avienius describes a portion of the Atlantic as being covered with seaweed and windless. 

     Columbus was aware of this account and thought earlier sailors had reached the Sargasso Sea, as did several other explorers. However, modern scholars consider this unlikely, but it's quite possible they are wrong...early mariners were not stupid. 

     One more recent interesting story, and a mysterious one, is that in July of 1969, British businessman and amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst, who was competing in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race, disappeared after his yacht became mired in the Sargasso Sea. He had reported false positions by radio in an attempt to give the impression that he was still participating. 

     Eventually, Crowhurst wound up drifting in the Sargasso Sea, where he apparently went mad. His yacht was found unoccupied and drifting on July 10. It is unclear whether his death came as the result of suicide or accident.