The great blob of Alaska is a mysterious dark substance stretching for miles in the Chukchi Sea. Get answers here, along with photos and video.
The Great Blob Of Alaska
Local hunters spotted a dark stringy substance floating in the Chukchi Sea, which they described as “hairy.” It was all strung together, forming a chain that was a few miles long. But what is it? Theories are flying, but some experts offer a more rational explanation.
The story comes at a perfect time, just a week or so after a mysterious “sewer monster” appeared on camera in North Carolina. It turned out to be what scientists described as a cluster of worms, all gathered at a crack in a pipe.
But those worms were closer to populated areas, and seemed to be the result of development. So when a sticky, smelly, hairy substance is found floating in a relatively uninhabited area in the Arctic Ocean it makes the mind wander. See the video below for pictures.
In fact, the Coast Guard immediately sent spill experts to the area to take a look. Samples were taken, and the experts were consulted.
Fear not. The great blob of Alaska is not a sign of the apocalypse (that’s supposedly still three years away). Nor is it an alien substance plotting an attack on the US. No, it is simply algae.
The Director of the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks said he’s not quite sure why a massive swath of algae would appear off of the Arctic coast.
Terry Whitledge also said:
“You’ll find these kind of algae grow in areas that are shallow enough that light can get to the bottom … If you had a rocky area along the coast, you could have this type of algae.”
One of his theories is that the great blob of algae could have come from a river. Melting ice flow could have pushed it into the ocean. But he’s still not 100% sure that’s what happened.
So the great blob of Alaska seems fairly innocuous right? Not Quite. Some algae blooms can be poisonous to wildlife and humans, and it can even taint seafood. Having grown up and lived most of my life in Florida, I’ve learned that Red Tide, which is also a kind of algae bloom, can definitely be harmful.
The good news is that so far officials believe the great blob to be non-toxic. Also, there is not much commercial fishing that takes place there, so there doesn’t appear to be a public health concern. Samples are currently being tested for toxicity, and the results should be available soon.
Check out a video about the great blob of Alaska below.
The Great Blob Of Alaska Video
