From beached whales to bioluminescence, here are 13 mysterious ocean phenomena!
13.
A Steaming Sea While not unknown in terms of cause, it is
still mysterious that this happens at all.
Above certain bodies of water, depending on temperature and the weather around it, a sea
or ocean can actually appear to "steam".
It has also been called other things like a foggy or smokey sea.
What happens is that the winds can bring in cold air, and then mix with the warmer temperatures
that are just above the bodies of water.
This can create steam, that doesn't rise very high, making it look like the ocean or the
sea itself is boiling.
It's very trippy, but thankfully for us all, the water isn't actually boiling, it's just
a very cool illusion of sorts.
12.
Sea Foam From "boiling" seas to seas that can apparently
create foam, this is by and large one of the weirdest things that people can see if they
go to the ocean.
As you can see, it's literal foam, and it piles up rather high along the shoreline.
Now, unlike the steam I showed you before, this one doesn't have a definitive explanation.
Some scientists believe that there are Algae in certain waters that have a certain appearance.
And when those Algae mix with the waters of the ocean or sea it can multiply and turn
into a foam-like substance, and that substance sticks to the ground when it washes ashore.
However, it's not fully proven, but in any case, it’s not a good idea to be rolling
around in it just to be safe.
And definitely don’t shave with it!!
It might turn out badly for you.
11.
The Mystery Of The USS Scorpion The USS Scorpion was a nuclear submarine that
disappeared in 1968.
It was a fast attack submarine and was known for its special operations.
It was able to film a soviet missile launch and flee the scene before being caught.
There were 99 crewmen aboard and when it tried to deliver a signal, and failed to return
to port on time, it was presumed lost.
The USS Scorpion is one of 2 nuclear submarines the US Navy has lost, the other one being
the USS Thresher.
Many have wondered what happened to it and its nuclear arsenal.
This had led to many theories, both probable and not, about what happened to it.
The submarine had a treasure trove of classified information and spy gadgets as well as nuclear
torpedoes.
Supposedly the government launched a full blown undercover investigation trying to locate
it before it became public.
The remains of the submarine were located 6 months later.
The Navy had sound tapes that had recorded its destruction although it’s still not
clear what caused the loss of the submarine.
It was found split in half, 740 km off the coast of the Azores.
And now for number 10 but first be sure to sub!!
10.
Beached Whales You’ve probably all seen the pictures and
footage of people trying to help a whale get off of the beach and into the water once more.
It is a rare and impactful thing to see such a large creature stuck and helpless in the
sand.
But, have you ever asked...how did it get on the beach in the first place?
Think about it, these are massive creatures, weighing numerous tons and are sometimes longer
than a bus!
Yet, they get washed up on the beach, and not just a few inches, but sometimes several
yards.
How does that happen?
How does the water have enough grit and power on a beach to throw a whale?
Now, a dead whale might be easier to explain, but most beached whales are alive, so...how
does this happen?
Whales are excellent navigators but somehow they get stranded in shallow water and on
beaches and sometimes, it looks like it was on purpose!!!
Marine biologists argue that military sonar experiments are hurting the whales ability
to navigate properly but scientists still don’t know why this happens.
There are many reasons to explain why one whale might get beached but mass strandings
are a much stranger problem.
9.
The Green Flash While not technically an ocean thing, it's
a series of events that is influenced by the ocean.
If you look at the sunrise or sunset over certain bodies of water, you'll sometimes
see a "green flash".
Have any of you seen it??
Let me know in the comments because I used to live near the beach but have never seen
a green flash myself!
It's apparently very brief, but it happens, and it has confused people for centuries!!
It was first seen as an omen by sailors, but later on, it was revealed to be a mix of atmospheric
conditions and the reflection of the water to make the light around the sun disperse
in a way that can turn it green.
Because of its rarity and beauty, many have been inspired by the Green Flash, including
a recent episode of Pokemon where one of the Pocket Monsters actually evolved after seeing
the Green Flash, and actually had green eyes to match it.
8.
Underwater Volcanoes Now, everyone's heard of a Volcano, but, when
you think of them, you likely think about the massive body of land rising from the depths,
or a long dormant entity erupting with great power and destroying everything in its path
like Pompeii.
Yet, under the water, volcanoes erupt more than you think.
In fact, it happens in a way that is both mysterious, and beautiful.
Because of their location in the deep sea, they rarely rise above the surface, yet, they
still produce magma.
A lot of it, actually.
And this is where one of the mysteries comes into play.
The depths and pressure make it so that the water doesn't boil, becoming a "supercritical
liquid".
Or, something that isn't a solid, or a liquid.
What is it exactly? it's hard to say.
There are many things still to be studied and explored, including what kind of life
is able to survive around these underwater volcanoes!
7.
Rogue Waves Anyone who's sailed in seas with massive waves
know that there are several things to fear.
But few are as terrifying and fearsome as Rogue Waves.
Though there are explanations as to why they happen, it doesn't help the ships that get
hit by them.
Rogue Waves literally come out of nowhere to crash against boats and ships with such
terrible impact that many have been sunk because of them.
And because the conditions that cause them are so unpredictable and random, nobody can
really prepare for them!
Maybe that’s what happened to the Scorpion, unless the Soviets blew them in half....
If you don't believe me, look up some of the Rogue Waves that were caught on Deadliest
Catch, that'll scare the pants off anyone!!
6.
Bimini Road All roads lead to Rome, and many people are
wondering if that’s the case with Bimini Road in the Bahamas.
Researchers and archaeologists of all kinds have come to study the huge, flat stones that
are set perfectly for about half a mile long.
However it is hard to say for sure what it is and how it got there.
Some think that it might be the road to the lost city of Atlantis and that it might be
lying there, buried in the sand.
Geologists that have drilled into the road say that the stones are actually a natural
phenomenon and that the rock has been weathered by erosion, making them look like perfect
stones.
The Sci Fi Channel did an investigation and they reported finding an entire second layer
of rocks that were cut in the same way.
So, was it placed by an advanced civilization or did they just happen to be cut perfectly
by nature?
5.
Red Tide Some of these phenomena are downright deadly.
Such as the infamous Red Tide.
No, not the Alabama football team, the actual Red Tide!
This event is one of the most dangerous things threatening the ocean and its inhabitants,
and it even threatens humanity.
Red Tide is an event created by Red Algae when it grows "out of control".
It's so toxic that it kills all fish and plants that are underneath it, and if it washes up
on the shores of land it can hurt humans too.
It can even affect the air, making breathing difficult.
These harmful algal blooms are getting bigger every year, possibly due to global warming.
They have also contributed to the deaths of hundreds of marine mammals and has cost coastal
economies tens of millions of dollars every year.
This event is one that is causing scientists to scramble in order to prevent it from becoming
a massive problem, but it's not easy.
They are trying to predict the harmful blooms to try to minimize the harm it causes.
4.
The Convergence The Convergence is another name for the meeting
of the Baltic Sea with the North Sea in Skagen, Denmark.
These are two bodies of water that very naturally come together off the coast of Denmark.
Here’s a map so you can see what I’m talking about!!
Seems pretty legit.
Except, when you look at it?
You can literally see the divide.
You can tell which sea is which in both look and color, and no one knows why this happens.
There is even the urban legend that these bodies of water mix below the surface, deep
down, but this most likely isn’t true.
The scientific explanation is that each sea has different temperatures and levels of salinity
which keeps them separate.
This happens in many places around the world where seas and oceans communicate with each
other, although to varying degrees.
3.
Bioluminescence For creatures under the sea, there are some
who have learned a very interesting technique to ward off foes, Bioluminescence.
Or more literally, the ability to make yourself glow.
It's not hard to imagine the shock and fear of seeing something you're about to eat begin
to glow with blinding light.
It’s also a great way to communicate in the dark!!
But, how does Bioluminescence work?
It's a chemical reaction caused by organisms known as dinoflagellates.
Within these organisms is a chemical called Luciferin.
If you don't get the joke here, the fallen angel Lucifer means "lightbringer" in Latin,
so it's a perfect fit here.
Anyway, the Luciferin actually mixes with the oxygen of the water around the being and
creates a light because of it.
It's actually really cool to witness, but in fish, it's on a really small scale.
However, in Puerto Rico, there's a giant case of Bioluminescence in the form of Bio Bay.
This body of water is filled with dinoflagellates due to years of human activity and decomposing
leaves, and because of that, the water gives off a beautiful blue glow, the largest of
its kind in the world!
It even has its own Guinness World Record, and they don't just give those away.
In fact, the legend of Bio Bay states that the Spaniards that inhabited it first saw
what was going on in the bay and thought there was a demon in it.
So, they tried to close it off to make it stop, but in truth, they just made it bigger
by protecting the area.
Ironic huh?
2.
Atlantis The legend of Atlantis is one of the greatest
stories ever told.
But the question has always been, is it really a legend?
The story goes as far back as Plato, who is not known to be a liar, and yet, despite numerous
surveys of the ocean, it's never been found.
The other question is, could the ocean really have "swallowed up" a whole city like that?
Well, the answer, technically, is yes.
There have been small cities, or sections of city that have been be "drowned" by the
oceans, (or volcanic activity).
They're well documented, but the legend of Atlantis is that this was a large civilization
that was wiped out by the gods.
So it could have existed and it could have been destroyed by a natural phenomenon.
If it did, where is it?
We may never know, but many research teams are still out there looking for it.
1.
The Bermuda Triangle The holy grail, perhaps the most unexplained
phenomena in the history of the oceans...the Bermuda Triangle.
This place, which spans from Florida to Puerto Rico to Bermuda, has claimed the lives of
many, and has sunken both ships and planes and many other things that dare to infringe
upon its waters.
Everyone was scared that you could go there and just disappear.
Because of this, legends have spread about what the Triangle.
Is it the home to a monster?
Is it aliens?
Is it something divine?
Scientific??
No one knows.
The truth of the matter is that the "defined" area of the Bermuda Triangle is actually a
well-traveled area, and ships and airplanes do make it through it just fine.
However, many writers and researchers say that the mysterious disappearances can't be
ignored.
75 planes and hundreds of ships have disappeared, including the loss of the USS Cyclops in March
1918 with 306 passengers and crew aboard.
Investigators are now saying that our technology now is somehow no longer affected by the triangle.
Human error and storms are always a factor but what is it about the triangle that keeps
drawing people in?
Is the triangle hiding something?
If so, what?
The legend and mystery of the Bermuda Triangle still has people obsessed.
Thanks for watching!
Have you ever heard of these phenomena?
Do you have an explanation for what's actually going on?
Let us know in the comments!
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