Sea balls (also known as Aegagropila or Pillae marinae) are tightly packed balls of fibrous marine material, recorded from the seashore. They vary in size but are generally up to 7 centimetres (2.8 in) in size. In Edgartown, Massachusetts a longish sea ball around 45 centimetres (18 in) in diameter has been found.[citation needed] Others have been reported at Dingle Bay in Ireland [1] and at Valencia, Spain. They may occur in hundreds and are composed of plant material, in majority seagrass rhizome netting torn out by water movement.[citation needed]
In recent years they have been shown to contain more and more plastic marine debris and even microplastics.[2]
Gallery
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A small sea ball -
A sea ball pulled apart, with a 1 euro coin for scale -
Sea balls occasionally drift ashore en masse, seen here on a beach in Sanary-sur-Mer, France -
Sea balls in a historic collection
References
edit- ^ Minchin, D. 2018 "Sea balls" on Inch Strand, Co. Kerry Irish Naturalists' Journal. 36(1) p 25-27
- ^ Anna Sanchez‐Vidal, Miquel Canals, William P. de Haan, Javier Romero, Marta Veny: Seagrasses provide a novel ecosystem service by trapping marine plastics, Scientific Reports, 2021, 11, S. 254, nature research, published online 14.1.2021. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-79370-3