Sargasso Sea

A region of the North Atlantic Ocean enclosed by circulating currents rather than land. Its warm, calm waters host large floating mats of Sargassum seaweed.

North Atlantic Gyre: A large system of circulating ocean currents in the North Atlantic basin. Its currents form the moving boundaries that enclose the Sargasso Sea.
Sargassum: A genus of brown algae that includes species growing attached to shores and species that float freely. Floating Sargassum gives the sea its name and supports much of its surface life.
Sargassum fish: A fish species, Histrio histrio, that lives among floating Sargassum and resembles its fronds. Its camouflage is a striking adaptation to the sea’s drifting weed habitat.
Sargassum inundation: The excessive accumulation of pelagic Sargassum on coastlines, especially around the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic. This coastal phenomenon contrasts with the sea’s offshore mats, which are part of a longstanding habitat.
Sargassum bloom: A large increase in the abundance of pelagic Sargassum in the ocean. Scientists study how changing nutrient supply and circulation affect the sea’s weed communities.
Gulf Stream: A strong, warm Atlantic current flowing northward along the eastern coast of North America. It marks the western edge of the Sargasso Sea.
Sargassum natans: A holopelagic species of Sargassum that grows and reproduces while floating in the open ocean. It is one of the two main species forming the sea’s floating mats.
Sargassum shrimp: A small shrimp that lives among floating Sargassum in the open ocean. It is one of the invertebrates sheltered within the sea’s weed mats.
Marine plastic pollution: Plastic debris dispersed and accumulated in marine environments, from shorelines to the open ocean. Floating debris can collect in the same convergences that gather Sargassum.
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: A system of Atlantic currents that transports heat and water masses between low and high latitudes. Its variability may influence the broader circulation surrounding the Sargasso Sea.

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