Turtles live their entire lives at sea and historically we have only gotten short glimpses into their life cycle during nesting season and during off-shore encounters. As a result, our understanding of their lives at sea is still evolving. Thanks to recent technological advances in GPS tracking, this understanding is growing rapidly and, in some cases, the data is even being made available for the public in real time.
A recent study on juvenile Atlantic green sea turtles confirmed that they oriented towards the Sargasso Sea rather than drifting in the currents of the North Atlantic Gyre, confirming broad anecdotal data suggesting that this was the case.
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/05/for-atlantic-sea-turtles-sargasso-sea-is-home-during-the-lost-years/
This study built upon a 2014 study that examined the movements of juvenile western Atlantic loggerheads, which found that while some loggerheads stayed adrift in the currents of the North Atlantic Gyre, a little less than half detoured to take refuge in the sargassum, confirming the importance of the Sargasso Sea for multiple species.
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2013.3039
While tracking juveniles provides insight into the "lost years," tracking adults provides important insights into travel between foraging grounds, nesting grounds, and nesting beaches. The Sea Turtle Conservancy tracks a large number of adult sea turtles which you can follow along with here:
https://www.conserveturtles.org/sea-turtle-tracking-active-sea-turtles/
Nesting loggerhead Phyllis is particularly interesting as she has recently traveled through our area on her way to the northern foraging grounds that are used by many of the turtles that nest in our region. Check her out here:
https://www.conserveturtles.org/stctrackingmap/?id=233
Photo Credit: Kate Mansfield
