May 15, 2019 โ โTHEREโS NOTHING LIKE it in any other ocean,โ says marine biologist Brian Lapointe. โThereโs nowhere else on our blue planet that supports such diversity in the middle of the oceanโand itโs because of the weed.โ
Lapointe is talking about a floating seaweed known as sargassum in a region of the Atlantic called the Sargasso Sea. The boundaries of this sea are vague, defined not by landmasses but by five major currents that swirl in a clockwise embrace around Bermuda. Far from any mainland, its waters are nutrient poor and therefore exceptionally clear and stunningly blue.
The Sargasso Sea, part of the vast whirlpool known as the North Atlantic gyre, often has been described as an oceanic desertโand it would appear to be, if it werenโt for the floating mats of sargassum.
The seaweed may seem unremarkable at first glanceโjust bunches of drifting plant matterโbut as Lapointe has helped illuminate through his work, sargassum is the basis of a complex ecosystem that nurtures a stunning array of marine life. It serves as a mobile shelter and a movable feast.
For 36 years Lapointe, a biologist with Florida Atlantic Universityโs Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, has combed the Sargasso Sea, observing sargassum by satellite and experiencing it firsthand in scuba gear. He wanted to figure out where the weed comes from, how it moves, what it sustains, and what sustains itโand to unravel the complex relationship sargassum has with other forms of marine life, from seahorses to great white sharks. Only by learning about this vital resource, he says, can we protect it from potential threats, such as ocean acidification and pollution.