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Sargasso Sea

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Sargasso Sea

a calm area of the N Atlantic, between the Caribbean and the Azores, where there is an abundance of floating seaweed of the genus Sargassum
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Sargasso Sea

[sär′ga·sō ′sē]
(geography)
A region of the North Atlantic Ocean; boundaries are defined in the west and north by the Gulf Stream, in the east by longitude 40°W, and in the south by latitude 20°N.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Sargasso Sea

 

an area of the Atlantic Ocean situated in tropical latitudes between the Canaries Current, the North Equatorial Current, and the Gulf Stream—that is, between 23°-35° N lat. and 30°-68° W long. The area fluctuates from 6 to 7 million sq km owing to seasonal changes in the currents. The winds and currents are weak and unstable, since the region is located in the center of the anticyclone cycle of surface waters. The water temperature is 18°-23°C in the winter and 26°-28°C in the summer. The salinity is 36.5–37.0 pro mille.

The Sargasso Sea received its name from the extensive aggregates of the seaweed Sargassum that float on or near the surface. The abundance of seaweed is due to the convergence of surface currents in the area. The sea is inhabited by many different types of animals. Free-swimming animals include mackerel, flying fishes, sea urchins, crabs, and sea tortoises; animals that live attached to seaweed include sea anemones and bryozoans.

The Sargasso Sea was at one time exceptionally clean, with visibility to a depth of 60 cm. Now the sea is severely contaminated with heavy oils.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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