The link is over here.
What: Giant mucus like blobs made of microscopic organisms that are dead and also alive organisms. The mucus starts out as "marine snow", just a small amount of microscopic organisms that are dead and alive. Later, other organisms join on, adding more and more until it grows to a giant mucus blob. These blobs can grow as large as a hundred twenty four miles long, and are extremely bacteria filled and dangerous to humans. The carry deadly e.coli and many other dangerous bacteria. This mucilage is a naturally occurring usually during the summer, causing only small problems like covering swimmers in sticky gel, but nowadays, due to global warming and warmer sea water, the mucilage has continued to grow during winter also, adding to the amount of summer sea mucilage. The mucilage is causing many problems with the habitats of fish and sea creatures. Some often become stuck in these globs suffocated to death, others may have their gills clogged up with this substance and die. And one of the largest problems is, that large heavy blankets of this substance will float down onto the sea floor covering up and smothering out all life there.
When: The amount of mucilage has been steadily growing throughout the years, since the sea has been becoming warmer.
Where: Mostly in the Mediterranean, although this can happen in any sea. The mediterranean with it mildly moving waters, allows the dead and living organisms to bond more easily. Whereas had the organic matter been in another rougher ocean, it would have been ripped apart and not been able to bond.
Why: The mucilage increase is because of global warming. Slowly the seas temperature has been increasing, which is good for this mucilage because it allows it to bond more easily.
What do I think:
This is disgusting, that fact that people have let global warming come so far as to affect the world like this and just the fact that its a giant booger like thing in the middle of the sea. Who wants to swim through that on their lovely vacation to the Mediteranean, and then end up with ruined hair and disgusting wet suit, like Serena Fonda Umani? If we don't find some way to get rid of these mucilages, than the environment will be in serious danger. Not only the environment, though, we will be too, due to the fact that these mucilages hold serious amounts of diseases like e. coli. Global warming is getting way more serious now.
~Swimmer/writer girl
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