Message #116705

[Bianca]

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[citation needed], 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 migration of the European eel and the American eel. The 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 eggs. It is also believed that after hatching, young Loggerhead Sea Turtles 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.

The Sargasso Sea was the subject of a recent metagenomics effort called the Global Ocean Sampling (GOS) survey, by J. Craig Venter and others, to evaluate the diversity of microbial life there. The results have indicated that, contrary to previous theories, the area has a wide variety of prokaryotic life.

Owing to surface currents, the Sargasso accumulates a high concentration of non-biodegradable plastic waste.  This huge vortex of garbage is similar to the similar ocean phenomena, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.