sargassum
Atlantic floating weed
Sargassum is a genus of brown seaweed that floats in large masses on the ocean surface, held aloft by small gas-filled bladders.
The Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic takes its name from the dense mats of sargassum that accumulate there.
When storms drive it ashore, sargassum can pile up on beaches in thick, rotting heaps: The resort was overwhelmed by sargassum this summer.
Large brown marine algae
- wrackDestruction or marine debris
- rockweedIntertidal brown algae
- bladderwrackBrown algae with air sacs
- macroalgaeMulticellular marine algae
nori · dulse · wakame · kombu · chlorophyll · photosynthesis · algology · bladders
Staying atop liquid
currents · windblown · mats · patches · drifting · surface · flotation · windrows
Circular or spiral motion
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- nurseryRoom for infants
- refugePlace of safety
spawning · eels · crabs · shrimp · pelagic · mid-Atlantic · microhabitat · shelter
Flower or flourishing state
- influxSudden large arrival
- beachingLanding on shore
- strandingLeaving helplessly isolated
- cleanupRestoration of order
removal · decomposition · odor · tourism · coastal · Caribbean · Mexico · Florida
Soil nutrient supplement
- biofuelFuel from organic sources
- biogasFuel from anaerobic decomposition
- compostingDecomposing organic matter deliberately
- alginatesPolysaccharides from brown algae
agriculture · aquaculture · biomass · extraction · sustainable · harvesting · nutraceuticals
kelp
Large brown marine algae
- wrackDestruction or marine debris
- rockweedIntertidal brown algae
- bladderwrackBrown algae with air sacs
macroalgae · nori · dulse · wakame · kombu · chlorophyll · photosynthesis · algology · bladders · fronds
floating
Staying atop liquid
oceanic · currents · windblown · mats · patches · drifting · surface · flotation · windrows · aggregations
gyre
Circular or spiral motion
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- nurseryRoom for infants
refuge · spawning · eels · crabs · shrimp · pelagic · mid-Atlantic · microhabitat · shelter · larvae
bloom
Flower or flourishing state
cleanup · removal · decomposition · odor · tourism · coastal · Caribbean · Mexico · Florida · shoreline
fertilizer
Soil nutrient supplement
- biofuelFuel from organic sources
- biogasFuel from anaerobic decomposition
- compostingDecomposing organic matter deliberately
alginates · agriculture · aquaculture · biomass · extraction · sustainable · harvesting · nutraceuticals