Sea Snot’: Turkey:
Turkey’s Sea of Marmara, which connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, has witnessed the largest outbreak of ‘sea snot’.
- A ‘sea snot’ outbreak was first recorded in the country in 2007.
Sea Snot and its Formation:
- It is marine mucilage that is formed when algae are overloaded with nutrients as a result of water pollution combined with the effects of climate change.
- The nutrient overload occurs when algae feast on warm weather caused by global warming.
- It looks like a viscous, brown and foamy substance.
Concerns:
- Threat to the Marine Ecosystem:
- It has caused mass deaths among the fish population, and also killed other aquatic organisms such as corals and sponges.
- It is now covering the surface of the sea and has also spread to 80-100 feet below the surface which eventually can collapse to the bottom and cover the sea floor.
- Livelihoods of Fishermen Affected:
- As the sludge is getting collected in their nets, making them so heavy that they break or get lost.
- Moreover, the mucilage coating the strings makes the nets visible to fish and keeps them away.
- Water-borne Diseases:
- It can cause an outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera in cities like Istanbul.
