US EditionScientists say a record amount of seaweed hit the Caribbean and nearby areas in May
- A record 38 million metric tons of sargassum seaweed piled up across the Caribbean in May, marking the largest amount observed since 2011.
- In Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, officials are installing barriers to stop sargassum from reaching the shore.
- Sargassum creates challenges for local residents, as it "disfigures our coasts, prevents swimming and makes life impossible for local residents."
- Tourism is negatively impacted as sargassum creates issues for local economies, especially for small islands that rely on visitors.
66 Articles
66 Articles
The Caribbean, known for its white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, faces an unexpected challenge. Mountains of brown and thorny algae invaded the coasts, transformed the landscape and affected the daily dynamics of this tourist destination. The impact is such that even a school in Martinique had to temporarily close due to the toxic gases released by the decomposition of these algae.What is sargazo and why is a problem?Sargazo is a type o…
Atlantic seaweed blob breaks record – and it's about to get even bigger
(NEXSTAR) – Blooms of smelly, toxic seaweed shattered records in May, growing to over 37 million tons and inundating beaches around the Caribbean. If it's not bad enough already, the amount of seaweed is expected to grow even more in June. The University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab tracks the growth of this type of seaweed, called sargassum, closely. As the bloom exploded in the ocean last month, large masses of sargassum started…
Record amount of stinky seaweed piles up on Caribbean beaches
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- A record-breaking amount of sargassum seaweed is making its way through the Atlantic and Caribbean, piling onto beaches and creating a stinky mess. The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close. Ground beef sold nationwide…
Playa del Carmen (Mexico), 4 Jun (EFE).- The current season of sargazo in the Mexican Caribbean is profiled as one of the most intense in recent years, since in the first semester alone more than 2,000 tons of this algae were collected in the start of the summer tourist season, according to Oscar Rébora, head of the Secretariat of Environment of Quintana Roo. “We are already exceeding 20,000 tons of this season, we have had more sargazo influx i…
It’s huge, stinky, and brown. Record amounts of seaweed are baffling scientists.
Caribbean beaches are being engulfed by tons of sargassum seaweed just as tourism season arrives. Scientists think warming waters and agricultural runoff may be contributing to the increasing amount of seaweed washing ashore each year.
Scientists Say Record Amount of Seaweed Hit the Caribbean and Nearby Areas in May
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—A record amount of sargassum piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, and more is expected this month, according to a new report. The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close. The amount—38 million metric tons—is…
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