The Sargasso Sea has long been considered a strange place in both historical records and in reality!
In Columbus' logbook, this is the most dangerous sea on Earth.
In 1492, Columbus led a fleet of 3 ships with 90 crews into the sea for the first time, but when crossing the sea, it took the fleet three weeks and nine deaths to escape from here.
Since then, "strange things" in the Sargasso Sea have occurred frequently, and there are often ships missing in this area, and when it reappears, there is no one on board.
There are rumors that the Sargasso Sea is the "Sea of Magic Algae", as long as there is a boat passing, the seaweed in the sea will quietly climb on the ship, firmly fixed the ship, resulting in the ship can not sail, will not sink.
Seaweed can also entangle people's hands and feet, and if they try to break free, they will also leave blood on their hands.
The people on board died of starvation and lack of water under the scorching sun, and eventually the ship and the corpse were slowly corroded and became "ghost ships".
It has also been claimed that strange creatures in the sea will climb along the seaweed to the boat and "eat" the ship and everything on board.
In reality, in the 1960s and 1980s, a lot of abandoned ships were indeed found on the Sargasso Sea.
As a result, the Sargasso Sea had the title of "Grave on the Sea", and for a while, no one dared to set foot here.
However, with today's technology, there is no place where humans "dare not set foot".
So from a scientific point of view, why is the Sargasso Sea considered to be the most dangerous sea on earth?
The sea within the ocean
Strictly speaking, the Sargasso Sea is not a real sea, it has no land boundaries, and it is surrounded by ocean currents on all sides, making it a very unique presence in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Sargassum Sea is 1,000 nautical miles wide and 2,000 nautical miles long, with an area of about 5-6 million square kilometers, has no fixed boundaries, so its area is also unfixed, and the entire sea is oval in shape and flows slowly in a clockwise direction.
Overlooking the Sargasso Sea, you will be attracted by its unusually clear and deep blue waters that are different from other seas.
Studies have shown that the visibility under the sargasso sea can reach 61 meters, and the very few areas can reach 72 meters, which is known as the clearest sea in the world.
Unlike the general ocean, the Sargasso Sea is surrounded by ocean currents, but the sea is unusually calm, with no wind and no waves.
The unique geographical structure causes the sargasso sea to flow slowly, and the shallow sea water is hardly mixed with other seawater, and there are fewer marine animals living here than in other places.
The most peculiar thing is that the sargasso sea grows free-floating, dense growth, like a thick cushion, covering the sea.
Is the Sargasso Sea really a "graveyard at sea"?
It has long been believed that there are two risk factors in the Sargasso Sea, one is the "killing of invisible magic algae", that is, sargassum, and the other is the unusually severe environment, with the title of "marine desert".
Columbus entered the Sargasso Sea because of the misleading vision of sargasso.
They had been sailing at sea for a long time, when they suddenly saw patches of sargassum, thought that there was land in front of them, and were very happy to enter this water, and when they sailed in, they were worried that the ship would hit the reef.
Unexpectedly, the land did not see it, and the ship hesitated as if it had been magically cast.
In addition, people feel that sargassum also has the ability to "entangle" people:
"A thick patch of sargasso, like a floating raft, will not only hinder the ship's progress, but also actively entangle people."
As a result, the Sargasso Sea is also described as a beautiful trap, and ships are attracted by the "green fields" of the sea and eventually become entangled in sargasso and unable to escape.
The "marine desert" is said to be because of the unique climate and geographical reasons, the sea water salt of the Sargasso Sea is high, the temperature is high, the water is very clear, but there are few animals living here, and the risk factor is much higher than that of other seas.
Coupled with the blessing of the nearby Bermuda Triangle and the exaggerated rendering of various literary works, in that era, the Sargasso Sea naturally became a dangerous area of xuanzhi and xuan.
However, with the progress of science, the true face of the Sargasso Sea has been revealed.
The real Sargasso Sea is littered with mountains
The first scientists to give the sargasso sea a proper name were the scientists aboard the steamship Michael Sars, and in 1910, after three months of research, they came to two conclusions:
First, the waters of the Sargasso Sea are warmer, clearer, bluer, and less oxygenated than the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, which infers that there is basically no marine life here, and it is a "marine desert";
Second, although the sargassum is large, it is relatively small and sparse, and it will definitely not cause harm to navigation.
What really keeps boats here is this: the windless and waveless surface of the Sargasso Sea.
In the age of sailing, ships advanced by wind and ocean currents, and the Sargasso Sea was so calm that ships could not enter or leave. Food and freshwater problems, as well as hydrogen sulfide gas produced by algae from sun exposure, are all root causes of the end of life.
In 2007, scientists put forward a different view, believing that the Sargasso Sea is not a desert, but on the contrary, it is inhabited by a variety of prokaryotes, and there are many unique species, such as the sargasso. It is also home to the spawning of many rare species, such as European eels and red sea turtles.
Most importantly, it has been found that the Sargasso Sea is only in and out of the sea, making it a gathering place for marine litter, where a large number of non-degradable plastics are collected and accumulated.
In order to solve the problem of pollution, in March 2014, several countries established conservation organizations to jointly protect and treat the Sargasso Sea.
At last
Overall, in the age of sailing, the Sargasso Sea was indeed a very dangerous place, with great transparency, but no one dared to step on it.
But defined by modern knowledge, the Sargasso Sea is not so terrifying. Instead, because of human presence, the Sargasso Sea is threatened by garbage.
This is an interesting question.
Many things in the world (think of the beasts that have been extinct because of human beings) were feared by humans in the past, but now that humans are stronger, not only are they not afraid, but they have leapt to become the people who make them afraid.
Is this a blessing or a curse? It's really hard to define!