Fun with Maps - Sargasso Sea (and Bermuda Triangle)

In this episode of Fun with Maps host Dan Hanson talks about the only sea in the world without a land boundary – the Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean is bounded by 4 currents but no land! It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its characteristic brown Sargassum seaweed and often calm, clear, deep blue water. There are five major ocean-wide gyres — the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian Ocean gyres. The North Atlantic gyre has a pronounced thermohaline circulation, bringing salty water west from the Mediterranean Sea and then north to form the North Atlantic Deep Water. At the heart of the gyre is the Sargasso Sea, noted for its still waters and quite dense seaweed accumulations. Dan also tells the reason behind the name of the horse latitudes. He shows some highly camouflaged fish in the area. Unfortunately, the gyre traps a high concentration of non-biodegradable plastic waste in its natural garbage or flotsam patch, in the same way the North Pacific Gyre has the Great Pacific garbage patch. The United Nations Environmental Program estimated that "for every square mile of ocean" there are about "46,000 pieces of plastic." The 10 largest emitters of oceanic plastic pollution worldwide are, from the most to the least, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Egypt, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, largely through the rivers Yangtze, Indus, Yellow, Hai, Nile, Ganges, Pearl, Amur, Niger, and the Mekong, and accounting for "90 percent of all the plastic that reaches the world's oceans." Asia was the leading source of mismanaged plastic waste, with China alone accounting for 2.4 million metric tons. The Sargasso Sea is often portrayed in literature and the media as an area of mystery. It is often depicted in fiction as a dangerous area where ships are mired in weed for centuries, unable to escape. So we look at some of that including the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. It’s a fun episode. Watch to see the connection to Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland. https://www.clevelandpeople.com/fun-with-maps.htm

Видео Fun with Maps - Sargasso Sea (and Bermuda Triangle) канала Dan Hanson