Updated 7/17: See Below
Call it ‘Grandson of Blob’ if you like, but the Anchorage Daily News reports that a “huge blob of Arctic goo,” unlike anything that anyone in the area can recall, has been spotted floating through the Chukchi Sea.
Local officials and the U.S. Coast Guard have investigated, and while no one seems to know exactly what it is, it does appear to be some sort of biological, naturally occurring organic substance — and it smells. The Coast Guard was definitive in stating it’s not oil.
Video shot from the air revealed “a long strand of the stuff” about 15 miles long. Described as gooey, with hairy strands, it’s brownish-black in color and moves with the current. Samples collected by the Coast Guard are being analyzed, but results are not expected for about a week.
In the meantime, we are examining video from the original, The Blob (1958) and the sequel, Son of Blob (1972) for clues. We’ll keep you posted as additional details become available.
Update (7/17) The first lab results are in, and according to the Department of Environmental Conservation in Fairbanks, the blob has been identified as marine algae. Still undetermined is why there is so much of it or where it came from.
