According to a recent report, record-breaking Salgas seaweed accumulated in and around the Caribbean Sea in May, with more expected this month.
Brown algae covers the coastline from Puerto Rico to Guyana, destroying tourism, killing wildlife and emitting toxic gases. A school in Martinique is temporarily closed due to smoke.
Since scientists began monitoring the Great Atlantic Salgas Belt in 2011, the number of seaweed has reached 380,000 tons, the largest number in the Caribbean, the Western and Eastern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.
Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida, also confirmed the report published by the university’s Optical Oceanography Laboratory, who confirmed the finding Monday.
The previous record was set in June 2022, with about 22 million tons.
Drone landscape shows a beach covered by Salgasum seaweed in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico (Reuters)
“These peaks seem to be getting bigger and bigger,” he said.
But scientists don't know why.
“It's a million dollar question,” he said. “I don't have a very satisfying answer.”
There are three different types of Salgasum in the Caribbean and nearby areas, which reproduce asexually due to small sacs. Barnes said they thrive in different ways based on sunlight, nutrition and water temperature, factors scientists are currently studying.
Experts also say that agricultural runoff, warming water, and wind, current and rainfall changes may have an impact.
Barnes’ large amounts of algae in the open ocean are a creature called a “healthy, happy ecosystem”, ranging from shrimp to endangered turtles, while nearby or on the coast can cause damage.
Man prepares to launch sailboats on a beach covered with seaweed with Salgasum (Reuters)
Coral reefs need to survive sunlight to stop it, and if algae sink, it suffocates reefs and seaweeds. Once it reaches shore, the creatures living in the algae die or are picked up by birds.
The large amount of stinky seaweed is also a headache, which for the Caribbean, tourism often brings huge amounts of money to small islands.
“It's a challenge, but it certainly won't affect every inch of the Caribbean,” said Frank Comito, special consultant for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.
He said officials invested in barriers in the popular tourist attractions in the Dominican Republic to prevent Salgasum from reaching shore.
A woman and a girl walk on a dog's beach
On the territory of St. Martin, the Dutch Caribbean, crew members with backhoe were sent in late May after residents complained about the strong smell of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which could affect a person's respiratory system.
“The smell is very bad,” Barnes said.
Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean, officials hope to use storage barges and upgraded special vessels soon to collect several tons of seaweed per day.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou recently told reporters: “Sargassum” disfigured our coast, prevented swimming and made the lives of local residents impossible. ”
But Comito said such vessels were “expensive” rather than a popular option, noting that another option (using heavy equipment) is labor-intensive.
Drone landscape shows a beach covered with Salgasum seaweed (Reuters)
“You have to be careful because it can be affected by turtle eggs,” he said. “It's not that you can get in there and rake the whole thing on a massive scale.”
Some Caribbean islands are struggling financially, so most of the cleaning is done by hotels and some can get a refund or a free shuttle to unaffected beaches.
Barnes said that every year, Salgasum’s population peaks around the spring, summer, and begins to decline in late autumn or early winter.
The new record collection is hardly fixed – experts say they expect more sargassums in June.
