71° 5′52.92″N LAT – 158°21′11.39″W LON
A giant mysterious blob is moving through Alaskan waters. The blob is made up of a gooey substance, and it has hair! Scientists don't know what the blob is made up of, but the blob has already been found to have captured seabirds and jellyfish in its goo. Scientists have confirmed that the blob is neither algae nor oil.
via Achorage Daily News -
WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – A “gooey” substance floating off Alaskan waters in the Arctic Sea is mystifying local officials and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Samples have been collected of the gunk, which was first noticed by hunters from Wainwright. The Anchorage Daily News reports the thick and dark substance has appeared in the Chukchi Sea between Wainwright and Barrow.
The U.S. Coast Guard says the substance is not an oil product or hazardous.
*UPDATE -
“While we’ve seen some algae bloom from time to time, we really haven’t seen something quite like this.”
The color, in particular, didn’t make sense, he said. You might expect to see green or reddish algae but not this black, viscous gunk. Whitledge, with the university, said one possible explanation is that the algae has partially decomposed into a darker hue.
He looks forward to the university examining the sample too, to identify exactly what kind of algae it is.
It’s worth noting that Alaska Natives in the region reportedly hadn’t seen anything like it before, he said.
But asked if the blob’s surprise appearance could be connected to global warming, Whitledge hesitated to draw a link.
“The water’s actually very cold this year compared to other years,” he said.
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