All articles tagged with #sargassum
A rare winter surge of Sargassum seaweed has hit top Mexican Caribbean beaches like Playa del Carmen and Tulum, disrupting the usual clear water season and raising concerns about year-round seaweed blooms due to changing ocean conditions. Travelers are advised to adapt by using pools, checking live beach cams, and exploring inland attractions like cenotes to enjoy their trips despite the seaweed invasion.
Since 2011, a massive and growing bloom of brown seaweed called Sargassum has been spreading across the Atlantic, driven by nutrient pollution from human activities and ocean currents, impacting coastal communities and ecosystems.
Scientists are alarmed by a record-breaking amount of sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean, with over 38 million metric tons impacting shores and ecosystems, causing environmental and economic damage, and potentially spreading to the US due to ocean currents and weather patterns.
A record 38 million tonnes of sargassum seaweed has accumulated across the Caribbean, causing environmental damage, disrupting tourism, and prompting costly cleanup efforts, with experts unsure of the exact causes but noting increasing trends year over year.
Caribbean scientists have developed a method to convert invasive sargassum seaweed into biofuel, potentially transforming a regional environmental crisis into an economic opportunity. The project, led by Dr. Legena Henry at the University of the West Indies, uses sargassum, wastewater from rum distilleries, and sheep dung to produce bio-compressed natural gas. This innovation could help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate the negative impacts of sargassum on tourism and health. The team is seeking funding to scale up the project, which could benefit other regions affected by sargassum.
A study published in Nature Communications has identified nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus, as the driving force behind the proliferation of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB). The research found that Sargassum in the GASB has higher nutrient content compared to populations in its traditional Sargasso Sea habitat. The study suggests that understanding the sources of these nutrients could help improve predictions and management efforts for Sargassum blooms, which have had harmful effects on ecosystems, economies, and human health. The study also highlights the presence of arsenic in Sargassum tissue, which poses constraints on its utilization and should be considered in plans to deal with seasonal inundations.
A long-term study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found significant nitrogen fixation hot spots in sargassum, a brown macroalgae in the seaweed family that floats on the surface of the open ocean. Nitrogen fixation, the process by which microorganisms convert nitrogen into a usable form for other plants and animals, was found to be significant in sargassum communities, potentially contributing to sargassum blooms and supporting marine productivity. The study highlights the importance of sargassum in the marine nitrogen cycle and suggests that previous studies may have underestimated nitrogen fixation in the Atlantic nitrogen budget.
The giant blob of sargassum seaweed that has been washing up on Florida beaches and emitting a foul odor has unexpectedly shrunk beyond expectations, according to researchers from the University of South Florida. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, which extends from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, has decreased in size, with a total weight of about 9 million metric tons. The amount of sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico has decreased by 75%, and there is now very little seaweed found in the Straits of Florida and along the state's East Coast. The seaweed is predicted to continue decreasing in the Gulf and the Caribbean Sea, providing relief to residents in those areas.
A study by Florida Atlantic University has found that the sargassum bloom, which is making its way towards Florida and possibly Alabama beaches, contains the Vibrio bacteria and plastic marine debris, creating a "perfect pathogen storm" with significant health risks to both humans and marine life. The Vibrio bacteria can cause life-threatening illnesses from seafood consumption, as well as disease and death from open wound infections. The sargassum bloom is also expected to impact Florida's eastern coast, with some of it making its way into the northern Gulf of Mexico.
The combination of sargassum, vibrio bacteria, and man-made plastics in the ocean is creating a "perfect pathogen storm" that poses a threat to marine life and human health. Vibrio has evolved to attach to and thrive on plastic, and its numbers increase as it sits on the beach. People are advised to wash themselves off after coming in contact with sargassum, especially if they have open cuts.
Vibrio bacteria, which can cause deadly human diseases, can quickly stick to and potentially adapt to plastic marine debris and Sargassum, a rapidly expanding type of seaweed found in the Sargasso Sea and beyond. This study emphasizes the potential health risks associated with increased human interaction with Sargassum and plastic marine debris, and the researchers urge caution regarding the harvest and processing of Sargassum biomass until the risks are thoroughly investigated. Vibrio bacteria are the leading cause of marine-related human fatalities, and the study highlights the potential for these bacteria to infect humans through plastic and Sargassum.
A new study led by Florida Atlantic University has found that Vibrio bacteria, which are the main cause of death in humans from marine environments, can interact with Sargassum spp. and plastic marine debris to create a “perfect pathogen storm” that threatens both marine life and public health. Vibrio pathogens have a unique ability to adapt and “stick” to both Sargassum and microplastics, thus considerably expanding their range. The study highlights the need for caution regarding the harvest and processing of Sargassum biomass until the risks are explored more thoroughly.
An overabundance of sargassum, a type of buoyant, rootless algae, is causing problems for beaches and tourism in places like Key West and Miami. The seaweed releases a foul odor as it decays and can cause respiratory issues. Removing sargassum from beaches is costly, and disposing of it is another challenge. Some companies are experimenting with turning sargassum into biofuel or construction material, while others are sinking it to prevent it from releasing carbon and fighting climate change. The cause of the increase in sargassum is likely due to modern agriculture techniques sending more nutrients downstream and into the ocean.
The whale shark has been officially declared the largest omnivore in the world, after a recent study found that they also feed on plant matter, specifically Sargassum seaweed. Previously, the title was held by the Kodiak bear. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean, growing up to 60 feet long and weighing over 41,000 lbs. They have few predators, but young whale sharks can be hunted by blue sharks, blue marlins, orcas, and white sharks. Despite their name, whale sharks are gentle and do not attack humans.
The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, a massive bloom of free-floating brown seaweed, is headed towards Florida and the Caribbean, with 2023 predicted to produce the largest bloom ever recorded. The increase in sargassum over the past decade is likely due to a drastic increase in agricultural activity in the Brazilian Amazon, sending rising levels of nitrogen and phosphorus into the Atlantic Ocean via the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. Sargassum has devastating effects on recreational beaches, underwater grasses, and sea life, and until nations find ways to reduce large-scale nutrient pollution, huge sargassum blooms will be a recurring presence in Florida and the Caribbean.