Interactive Reading

Read the passage and answer the question.

For centuries, sailors feared a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Sargasso Sea. Unlike other seas, it has no coastline; instead, four ocean currents form a slow, circular boundary around it. Floating mats of golden seaweed called sargassum drift across its surface, giving the water an unusual calm. Early crews worried their ships would become trapped in the thick weed, though this rarely happened. Today, scientists value the region because young eels and sea turtles shelter among the floating plants, using the weed as both a nursery and a hiding place from larger predators.