Arthur Greene
For months, a thick layer of a slimy snot-like goo has plagued the coast of Turkey.
Scientists believe it is a combination of human sewage, agricultural waste and other forms of pollution. Warmer temperatures caused by climate change have also worsened the problem.
The “sea-snot,” as it’s known locally, has been so devastating to local sea life and fishing communities that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday ordered a large-scale cleanup.
The sludge which is also described as marine mucilage or sea saliva is a collection of mucus-like organic matter found in the sea. The creamy, gelatinous substance has sunk beneath the waves, suffocating the life on the seabed, while a floating layer has covered many harbours and shorelines.
The Turkish government has sent hundreds of workers to provinces bordering the Sea of Marmara to clear away the giant layers of sea snot on the sea’s surface.
“If this expands to the Black Sea the trouble will be enormous,” Erdoğan said.
It will be the biggest cleanup operation in Turkey’s history, but many experts say the government should have cracked down on pollution years ago.
Marine biologist Mert Gökalp told Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet “why did we go on with our lives without thinking about where our waste goes?”
The clean up operation will use tanker trucks with suction hoses that only work at the water’s surface. This will not deal with the giant bands of sludge which float beneath the surface and on the sea bed.
Image source: @HDNER.
