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It resembles the blob from science fiction stories, but it's very real. These jell-like sheets of disease-carrying mucus are spreading across portions of the Mediterranean1 and Adriatic Sea, where this video was taken.
This stringy mass is known as marine2 mucilage. They're visible on the surface of the water as well, creating a sudsy look in the sea. It's not one organism, but a congregation of organic matter joined together. The mucilage begins as a cluster of mostly microscopic3 dead and living matter, and over time, picks up others looking for food or safety. Only some of the animals are visible to the human eye, such as small shrimp4 and crustaceans5. These blobs have been known to exist at least since 1729, but a recent study found a link between mucilage outbreaks and warmer sea temperatures.
Study leader Roberto Danovaro, from the Polytechnic6 University of Marche in Italy, says there’s concern because the blobs attract bacteria and viruses, including E-coli. That would make the blobs harmful to swimmers, and an E-coli presence can force closure of beaches. The bacteria can be deadly to fish and other living organisms in the water. And the noxious7 mass also traps animals, be coating their gills and suffocating8 them.
Danovaro says the mucilages are largest in the summer months. His study found that the number of mucilage outbreaks increased almost exponentially in the last 20 years in the Mediterranean. He cautions that it's a good example of what can happen if climate warming continues.
The biggest blobs can sink to the seafloor, acting9 like a blanket and smothering10 life at the bottom.
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1 Mediterranean | |
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的 | |
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2 marine | |
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵 | |
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3 microscopic | |
adj.微小的,细微的,极小的,显微的 | |
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4 shrimp | |
n.虾,小虾;矮小的人 | |
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5 crustaceans | |
n.甲壳纲动物(如蟹、龙虾)( crustacean的名词复数 ) | |
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6 polytechnic | |
adj.各种工艺的,综合技术的;n.工艺(专科)学校;理工(专科)学校 | |
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7 noxious | |
adj.有害的,有毒的;使道德败坏的,讨厌的 | |
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8 suffocating | |
a.使人窒息的 | |
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9 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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10 smothering | |
(使)窒息, (使)透不过气( smother的现在分词 ); 覆盖; 忍住; 抑制 | |
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