5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida

Satellite images show 5,000-mile seaweed belt creeping closer to US

Over the next few months, a massive belt of seaweed is projected to make its way closer to Florida and the Caribbean, and pile up in mounds as it washes ashore. It's not just an eyesore — the seaweed, called sargassum, smells terrible as it rots, and can cause breathing issues for some.

Beyond Local: A 5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 5,000-mile seaweed belt lurking in the Atlantic Ocean is expected in the next few months to wash onto beaches in the Caribbean Sea, South Florida, and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.

A 5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 5,000-mile seaweed belt lurking in the Atlantic Ocean is expected in the next few months to wash onto beaches in the Caribbean Sea, South Florida, and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt — as the biomass stretching from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is called — contains scattered patches of seaweed on the open sea, rather than one continuous blob of sargassum. It’s not a new occurrence, but…

5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida

Once it washes ashore, sargassum is a nuisance — a thick, brown algae that carpets beaches, releasing a pungent smell as it decays.

5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida

Once it washes ashore, sargassum is a nuisance — a thick, brown algae that carpets beaches, releasing a pungent smell as it decays.

5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida

Once it washes ashore, sargassum is a nuisance — a thick, brown algae that carpets beaches, releasing a pungent smell as it decays.