The Sargasso Sea

Contact person: S.A. McKenna, Independent Consultant
Created Sep 10, 2010 11:38 AM — Last modified Oct 17, 2010 11:25 PM

Contributors: A. H. Hemphill, Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University

Current State of this Report:

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Brief Description: The Sargasso Sea is unique in being the only area in the world to function as a center of distribution for a self-sustaining community of holopelagic drift algae.

Oceanic region(s):
North Atlantic

Does this area cross into an EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)?
Yes

Site Location

Defined by the currents that envelope it, the Sargasso Sea is seasonally dynamic as well as the only “sea” without coastlines. Sitting on the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre and correlated roughly with the Azores High Pressure System, the Sargasso Sea at any given time is approximately 1126 kilometers wide and 3219 kilometers long (Conover and Seiburth 1964).

EBSA Criteria

1. Uniqueness or rarity: Area contains either unique (the only one of its kind), rare (occurs only in few locations) or endemic species, populations or communities, and/or unique, rare or distinct, habitats or ecosystems; and/or unique or unusual geomorphological or oceanographic features:
High

2. Special importance for life history stages of species: Areas that are required for a population to survive and thrive:
High

3. Importance for threatened, endangered or declining species and/or habitats: Area containing habitat for the survival and recovery of endangered, threatened, declining species or area with significant assemblages of such species:
High

4. Vulnerability, Fragility, Sensitivity, or Slow recovery: Areas that contain a relatively high proportion of sensitive habitats, biotopes or species that are functionally fragile (highly susceptible to degradation or depletion by human activity or by natural events) or with slow recovery:
Don't know

5. Biological productivity: Area containing species, populations or communities with comparatively higher natural biological productivity:
Low

6. Biological diversity: Area contains comparatively higher diversity of ecosystems, habitats, communities, or species, or has higher genetic diversity:
Low

7. Naturalness: Area with a comparatively higher degree of naturalness as a result of the lack of or low level of human-induced disturbance or degradation:
Low

Information relevant to other international criteria

Dependency: An area where ecological processes are highly dependent on biotically structured systems (e.g., coral reefs, kelp forests, mangrove forests, seagrassbeds). Such ecosystems often have high diversity, which is dependent on the structuring organisms. Dependency also embraces the migratory routes of fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, and invertebrates.:

Representativeness: An area that is an outstanding and illustrative example of specific biodiversity, ecosystems, ecological or physiographic processes:
High

Biogeographic importance: An area that either contains rare biogeographic qualities or is representative of a biogeographic “type” or types, or contains unique or unusual biological, chemical, physical, or geological features. :

Structural complexity: An area that is characterized by complex physical structures created by significant concentrations of biotic and abiotic features.:

Natural Beauty: An area that contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.:

Earth’s geological history: An area with outstanding examples representing major stages of Earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features.:

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Description / Notes:

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Detailed Description

The Sargasso Sea is unique in being the only area in the world to function as a center of distribution for a self-sustaining community of holopelagic (continuously pelagic) drift algae, consisting of massive amounts of floating Sargassum dominated by two species (S. natans and S. fluitans) (Conover and Sieburth 1964, Algaebase, Hemphill 2005). Globally, the paramount importance of such drift algae is its provision of structural habitat for a range of fauna, including endemic, threatened and commercially important species. In other regions of the world this habitat is rare and ephemeral, whereas in the Sargasso it is close to ubiquitous.

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The Sargasso Sea

EBSA Criteria

Information relevant to other international criteria

Detailed Description

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