FAU OSLS - Secrets of the Sargasso Sea - Brian Lapointe, Ph.D.

Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Ocean Science Lecture Series Secrets of the Sargasso Sea Brian Lapointe, Ph.D. For over five centuries, the Sargasso Sea has been a subject of lively debate among explorers and scientists alike. Named for its characteristic brown seaweed Sargassum, the boundary of the Sargasso Sea is now defined by the currents that surround this unique “sea without a shore“ - also known as the North Atlantic Central Gyre. Dr. Lapointe will share a number of “secrets“ about this mysterious oceanic realm, some of which date back to the historic voyage of Christopher Columbus. He will describe the discovery of Sargassum by early explorers, the phenomenon of the “Bermuda Triangle“, and the amazing community of invertebrates and fishes supported by Sargassum “weedlines“. Dr. Lapointe will show outtakes of a documentary of the Sargassum community that he and NHK Broadcasting (Tokyo, Japan) collaborated on in 1997. He will close by describing his recent studies of the impacts t