Sea snot

Sea snot forms when globs of marine snow coagulate into large globs that can span distances as large as 124 miles.[2] The mucilage has many components, including a wide range of microorganisms including viruses and prokaryotes, and exopolymeric compounds with colloidal properties.[3] Sea snot is also produced by phytoplankton when they are stressed.[4]

An increase in the amount of sea snot in the Mediterranean and other seas observed at least as early as 2009 may have been the result of climate change. Warmer, slower moving waters increase the production of sea snot and allow it to accumulate in massive blobs.[2] Sea snot was first reported in 1729 and has long been seen as a nuisance to the fishing industry and coastal populations.[2] Recently, sea snot has emerged not only as a nuisance, but as a major hazard. Globs of sea snot can harbor bacteria such as E. coli that threaten maritime flora and fauna as well as humans exposed to contaminated water. It can also coat the gills of sea creatures subsumed in it, cutting off oxygen and killing them.[2]

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico created large amounts of sea snot. Scientists are not sure how exactly the spill caused so much sea snot to form, but one theory asserts that the sea snot could have been the result of a massive kill of microscopic marine life creating a "blizzard" of marine snow. Scientists worry that the mass of sea snot could pose a biohazard to surviving marine life in the area.[5] It is widely believed that the Sea Snot left by the spill directly resulted in the loss of sealife in the Gulf of Mexico based upon a dead field of deepwater coral 11 kilometers away from the Deepwater Horizon station.[6]

• Mucilage – Polar glycoprotein and exopolysaccharide produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms
• Marine snow – Shower of mostly organic detritus falling from the upper layers of the water column