Month: March 2022

Floating Sargassum … characterises the Sargasso Sea, and its name is derived either from early Portuguese sailors who compared the weed and its air-filled clusters of bladders to grapes, or from the Spanish word “sargazzo” meaning kelp. Christopher Columbus is credited with the first written account when he encountered Sargassum in 1492, and it was his sailors who created the early myths and legends. Columbus’s ship … Read More “Maritime Heritage” »

Without a coastline to help define its boundaries, other biological characteristics and oceanic conditions have been used over time to help define the sea’s location and extent. This extraordinary open-ocean ecosystem is bounded by currents circulating around the North Atlantic sub-tropical gyre and is unique for supporting the center of distribution and abundance for a … Read More “The Sargasso Sea is the earth’s only sea without a land boundary. “ »

The Sargasso Sea is named for the Sargassum seaweed that creates its unique ecosystem.  The Sea has been called a golden floating rainforest. It is a haven of biodiversity and there is growing recognition of the crucial role it plays in the wider North Atlantic ecosystem as habitat, foraging and spawning grounds and as a migratory corridor. Endangered … Read More “The Sargasso Sea” »