You walk along the coast every day, relax by the sea, take a swim, and then one morning you find the water has turned brown. What do you feel? I was frightened. I felt the reality of global warming to my bones. The Sea of Marmara is an important region of Turkey, with many large cities on its shores. Because of global warming, a blanket of a mucus-like substance in the Marmara Sea is increasing day by day, threatening the fishing industry and the environment. According to media reports, a layer of so-called sea snot, (marine mucilage) formed as a result of the proliferation of microalgae called phytoplankton in the sea, has reached water levels as deep as 30 meters below the surface in some parts of the Marmara Sea. The main reason for this is that the water temperature in the Marmara Sea is 2.5 degrees higher than average levels over the last 40 years.
Meet the sea snot that global warming has given us
Series, Jury Honorable Mention
An aerial photo taken by a drone shows the Marmara Sea covered in sea snot. Istanbul, Turkey, June 6, 2021.
People sit near the Marmara Sea covered in sea snot. Istanbul, Turkey, May 30, 2021.
A cormorant on the Marmara Sea covered in sea snot. Istanbul, Turkey, May 30, 2021.
An aerial photo taken by a drone shows a fisherman in a boat on the Marmara Sea covered in sea snot. Istanbul, Turkey, June 4, 2021.
Children swim in the Marmara Sea covered in sea snot. Darica district, Kocaeli, Turkey, June 11, 2021.
An aerial photo taken by a drone shows children swimming in the Marmara Sea covered in sea snot. Darica district, Kocaeli, Turkey, June 11, 2021.
A diver in the Marmara Sea, covered in sea snot, views the seafloor. Istanbul, Turkey, June 8, 2021.
An aerial photo taken by a drone shows a man in a pedalo on the Marmara Sea covered in sea snot. Darica district, Kocaeli, Turkey, June 11, 2021.
An employee cleans the surface of the Marmara Sea, which is covered in sea snot, to view the seafloor. Istanbul, Turkey, June 8, 2021.
An aerial photo taken by a drone shows a gray heron (Ardea cinerea) flying over the Marmara Sea covered in sea snot. Istanbul, Turkey, June 8, 2021.