Giant algae surrounds Antarctica

With a length of up to 200 km, a cluster of algae along the Antarctic coast is so big that artificial satellites can detect it from space.

Livescience reported that the algae in the South Ocean, the waters surrounding Antarctica, were discovered for the first time in the middle of February by the American Terrestrial Satellite, and now it is covering the east coast of Antarctica. Jan Lieser, a marine researcher working at Australia's Center for Climate Research and Antarctic Ecosystems, says this is a remarkable event.

'We know that algal blooms are a natural phenomenon in the Southern Ocean. But I have never seen such a large group of algae. It has been around for more than 15 days, so I think it has gone through two-thirds of its life cycle , 'Lieser said.

The giant algae in the South Ocean split into two small clusters
more in the photograph taken by Terra satellite in February. (Photo: NASA)

The algae spread over an area of ​​200km in the east-west direction and 100km in the north-south direction.

Algae grow strongly when light and nutrients become abundant. In the South Ocean, the waters surrounding Antarctica, whenever the concentration of iron in the water increases, the number of algae outbreaks. Iron is one of the important nutrients of marine algae. When the snow falls to the South Ocean in the summer, they carry iron molecules. So the concentration of iron in the sea skyrocketed.

As a link in the first place in the ocean food chain, algae absorbs carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) to build nutrients through photosynthesis. However, large algae can harm the ocean. Some algae produce toxic chemicals for animals. If snails, oysters, mussels and mussels eat Alexandrium catanella - algae that cause red tide phenomenon - they will become dangerous food for humans. Those who eat them will be poisoned.

Many researchers suspect algae caused at least four mass extinctions in Earth's history. In those disasters, 50 to 90% of the Earth's animals disappear forever by eating things that contain toxic algae.