2021, Wang et al. "If it all stays offshore, we wouldn't really have a problem," Barnes said. It's a bad impact on the economy," Chuanmin Hu, a professor of oceanography at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science who leads a team to monitor and track sargassum blooms using satellites, told Insider. Owners and/or managers of condominiums, hotels and other beachfront properties who want to remove sargassum from the beach next to their buildings are free to do so by hand, which doesnt require a permit, he said. Is climate change the same thing as global warming? "I think I've replaced my climate change anxiety with sargassum anxiety," Patricia Estridge, CEO of Seaweed Generation, told The Guardian. It's important to note that seaweed is usually fairly innocuous and actually has benefits like providing habitats for fish and absorbing carbon dioxide. The coastal phytoplankton study, by researchers at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Chinaand elsewhere, used images from NASAs Aqua satellite. Accumulation of sargassum along the shoreline can impede the ability of sea turtle hatchings to make their way to the ocean. "Seaweed season" will be at its peak this month through possibly August. Furthermore, several scientific studies are underway examining the viability of sargassum as a compost additive. Suspended by round "berries" filled with gas, the seaweed offers food, sanctuary and breeding grounds for crabs, shrimp, whales, migratory birds and some 120 species of fish. Some of those that populate the Atlantic Ocean grow on the surface of the water, since they don't form roots to attach themselves to rocks like other algae. Sargassum bloom 2023: How Florida beaches will be impacted - WTSP.com Five thousand miles long, 400 miles wide, and over six million tons, a massive bloom of sargassum seaweed is drifting toward . A Giant Blob of Seaweed Is Heading to Florida - The New York Times Blue indicates a lower level of inundation. Posted: April 20, 2023. Why it matters. "Sargassum does not fully cover any part of the ocean, and sargassum is not toxic. We know that climate change is warming ocean waters, and Sargassum grows faster in warmer water. Sargassum along the beaches of South Walton from 2022 . County workers clean beaches on and near Okaloosa Island and in and near Destin every day using machine-pulled rakes. He featured local human rights activists Connell Crooms and Sara Mahmoud. Recent reports of sizable deposits along the beaches south of Melbourne, with some now being seen in the St. Augustine area. Spring and summer, when sargassum accumulates, are prime sea turtle nesting seasons. The term algal bloom can be confusing and mistakenly used interchangeably with other phenomena. Sargassum is an amazing brown algae that has fascinated marine scientists for decades. SUNNY ISLE BEACH, Fla. Sargassum is a type of rootless and leafy algae that floats around the ocean. Avoid accumulation hot spot areas, particularly if you have any respiratory illnesses. A 5,000-mile-wide blob of floating sargassum seaweed has reached the Florida Keys, and video from Cocoplum Beach on Easter Sunday in Marathon, Florida, shows it washing on shore and piled up along the beach. But the macroalgae has mushroomed in sizeover the past12 years or so, which makes it more likely to see large piles of seaweed that make it difficult to walk, sit or play onbeaches. SARGASSUM Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed that is washing up on beaches in Florida. Warmer temperatures coincided with blooms in high latitude regions such as Alaska and the Baltic Sea. On the beach, shorebirds like to pick bugs and other creatures from the seaweed, he said. Cheryl McCloud Florida Today 0:00 0:33 Substantial s argassum is expected in June in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, according to the May report from the University of South Florida.. As it rots, it gives off a substance called hydrogen sulfide. These events can cause significant economic, environmental and public health harm. Dierssen, H.M., Chlus, A., Russell, B. However, nutrient inputs by humans can cause it to bloom out of control and form massive mats that cause issues for natural ecosystems and humans alike. This species is also a, Find out where the biggest impacts are and, Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion, TESI Environmental Communicators Internship, Science Communication Professional Development, AI in the Classroom: Scientist in Every Florida School Program Helps Middle School Teachers Use Fossil Sharks to Teach Machine Learning, Tell Me About: Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination, Internships with Gulf of Mexico Alliance and Mississippi State University Coastal and Marine Extension Program. Scientists at NOAA and University of South Florida have developed new computer models, using the water currents in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, to predict the areas at greatest risk of. Scientists are increasingly concerned about the impacts of the algae. PDF Outlook of 2023 Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of The continuous accumulation of sargassum brough in by daily tides results in large carpets of algae on local beaches. Christopher Columbus wrote about floating mats of it in the Atlantic Ocean. Outlook of 2023 Sargassumblooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico* March 1, 2023, by University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab (bbarnes4@usf.edu, yuyuan@usf.edu, huc@usf.edu) The maps below show Sargassumabundance, with warm colors representing higher values. 2022). Updates on sargassum growth and where the massive blob is located are provided every month, and patches of the seaweed are riding the waves onto shore along the Florida Keys, but its now washing up on shore along Floridas east coast. Email Quinton White, executive director of Jacksonville Universitys Marine Science Research Institute, with questions about our waterways at qwhite@ju.edu. University of Florida Electronic Information Data Source. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or We also know that there has been an increase in nutrients in the ocean too. Definitions explained. This species is also a problem for humans, as it can wash up on beaches in enormous quantities, decomposing, releasing noxious gases, and causing skin irritation. The Gulf Stream moves the sargassum bloom into the Atlantic Basin every year. This makes it easy for small clumps to move together and form larger clumps as winds between South Africa and the Gulf of Mexico push them together, Hu said. Ocean currents and gyres (large systems of circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns and forces created by Earths rotation) work as an easy transport for sargassum. Sargassumis a type of seaweed thats naturally occurring in the marine environment worldwide. Sargassum normally grows in the crystal blue waters of the Sargasso Sea which is a giant 2 million-square-nautical-mile area contained within the rotating oceanic currents of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. Contributing: George Petras and Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY. 2019. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The latest:Giant mats of seaweed lurk off Florida's coast and have beached in spurts but will peak soon. Rotten egg, smelly, stink. By Stephen P. Leatherman, Florida International University. Largest-yet seaweed bloom headed to Florida and Caribbean - EarthSky Stephen P. Leatherman is a professor of coastal science at Florida International University. The algae floats on the surface, aided by small round sacs filled with gas. A satellite-based map shows the Sargassum bloom approaching Florida, from March 7-13, 2023. These clouds contain iron, nitrogen and phosphorus from dust storms in Saharan Africa and biomass burning in central and southern Africa. Seaweed Full of Flesh-Eating Bacteria Hitting Florida - Newsweek Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The belt is already beginning to wash upin the Florida Keys and Barbados and elsewhere in the region, but researchers don't know where the bulk of it could wind up. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. "Increasing sargassum blooms are good for the ocean ecosystem, but pretty bad for some local residents," Hu said. The "Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt" is a massive bloom of brown algae that stretches from the coast of West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. Miami-Dade Parks reminds beachgoers it's sargassum (seaweed) season Experimental Weekly Sargassum Inundation Risk (SIR v1.3) The current batch of sargassum on the beaches is definitely more than were used to seeing, said Fogg, who noted that because the county does not have the availability of satellite imagery, its hard to predict when the seaweed will stop flowing in. MASSIVE BLOB OF SMELLY SEAWEED COULD MEAN TROUBLE FOR FLORIDA BEACH VACATIONS. While our area will certainly see sargassum on our beaches, like every year, we do not expect the quantities to be overwhelming, he said. All If you like beach combing, carefully sift through some sargassum. In 2018, 20 million tons of sargassum bloomed, nearly spanning from Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. But not everywhere. Sargassum landings have been observed in Florida earlier than usual this year, and we can expect to experience a high and continuous amount of sargassum landings throughout the summer. Not all algal blooms are bad. Will it impact Florida? Whether individual beaches will receive more in a month than other months will depend on the tides and the winds.". . All Rights Reserved, Okaloosa County Public Information Office, Okaloosa County to remove 3 derelict vessels from Boggy Bayou, Choctawhatchee Bay, and Cinco Bayou, Okaloosa deploys 46 new Prefabricated Artificial Reef modules off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, New Red Snapper Fishing Tournament to benefit Okaloosa Countys Artificial Reef Program, Record-breaking 24,699 lionfish removed during 2023 Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament, UPDATE: Former NFL and Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett identified as drowning victim in Destin, Phil Dorn bids farewell as Athletic Director at Destin High School, Fortunately, Red Tide and Sargassum are not something that significantly impacts our area compared to other parts of Florida, says Fogg. Sargassum might smell sometimes and it might look unappealing, but there is no health issue., Memorial Day weekend water rescues: Large crowds lead to over 30 water rescues, drowning at Crab Island over Memorial Day weekend. A sargassum bloom floats between the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa. Sargassum FAQ | NOAA CoastWatch The belt stretches across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula and is as much as 200 to 300 miles wide. 2021 has been another record year, with the macroalgae blooming in significant amounts. Until nations find ways to reduce large-scale nutrient pollution, I expect that huge sargassum blooms will be a recurring presence in Florida and the Caribbean. When beachgoers say there's a brown blob of seaweed floating in the ocean, they really mean it. Although it floats freely in the water, sargassum can wash ashore and remain there, depending upon the local tides and slope of the beach. In Miami-Dade County, sargassum is either spread out with mechanized beach rakes or removed with front-end loaders. He explained that the seaweed forms the big blob pretty much every year, and typically impacts the Caribbean Islands and south Florida. "It's not a bad thing to have the sargassum in the ocean," said Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Because once the seaweed reaches shore, "the [blooms] degrade water quality, they smell bad, they attract insects and bacteria, they chase away tourists. Signs warning beachgoers about the sargassum are posted along beaches. There are multiple factors because the Atlantic ocean is huge," Hu said. Another major source of nutrients is dust clouds from the Sahara, which can stretch for thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean, carried by trade winds. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. As of late March, the sargassum belt was about 5,000 miles long and 300 miles wide. FRIDAY, May 26, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Be cautious when heading to Florida's beaches this summer, an expert warned, as a 5,000-mile floating mass of sargassum seaweed has begun washing up. It is visible by satellites from space and is now about 5,000 miles long and 300 miles wide. Its left to break down naturally as well, Fogg said. People with asthma or other breathing illnesses may have trouble breathing if they inhale too much of it. Sargassum seaweed blob heading to Florida explained | CNN A seaweed blob twice the width of the US is heading toward Florida. Seaweed blob tracking map shows Sargassum headed for Florida in 2023 - HITC Bloom frequency increased globally at a rate of nearly 60%. The trend was first documented on satellite in 2011. 2023, 12:00 PM UTC . Images: Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science Sargassum impacts Environmental impacts Large mats of sargassum have the potential to smother shallow coral reefs and seagrass beds by blocking needed sunlight. As of April 2023, this year's sargassum bloom is headed for the Caribbean and east coast of Florida. Here's what to know. However, there exists a second area of prolific sargassum formed in 2019 further south off the coast of South America (LaPointe et al. The challenge has since extended to the contiguous United States as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt drifts towards Florida. That's bad news for destinations like Miami and Fort Lauderdale that will struggle to clean their shorelines. "Its definitely not aesthetic," one beachgoer told FOX Weather multimedia journalist Brandy Campbell. The seaweed has existed for centuries, but climate change and inflows of nitrogen and man-made fertilizer from rivers have caused. Those Seaweed Blobs Headed for Florida? See How Big They Are. A satellite-based Sargassum map, March 8-14, 2023. Now, intensive cattle ranching and soybean farming in the Amazon basin are sending rising levels of nitrogen and phosphorus into the Atlantic Ocean via the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. In South Florida, communities mainly use the seaweed as mulch, but this requires thoroughly washing it to remove the salt, either naturally via rainfall or by spraying it with fresh water. Sargassum can deprive coastal waters from oxygen, limiting animal movement. redistributed. Sargassum is a species of large brown seaweed, a type of macroalgae that floats in large masses. Some areas can be relatively clear, or only mildly affected. How does climate change affect you? But we cannot say that we are not in June yet.". It is in the news today because of a massive bloom occurring in the Caribbean Sea.Sargassum normally grows in . When it dies, it sinks to the sea floor, providing nutrients to deep-sea ecosystems. Thousands of locals read our newsletter every morning! It offers food, hiding spots and breeding grounds for a vast array of crabs, shrimp and other invertebrates and over a hundred species of fish. Water circulation patterns move similarly to a conveyor belt, and scientists theorize that some sargassum seeds traveled from the Sargasso Sea to this area between Brazil and West Africa and eventually created the GASB. A large blob of seaweed is floating off the Florida coast and washing up on beaches. Here's how to protect turtles and hatchlings. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt extends from west Africa to the Gulf of Mexico and is setting a record 13 million tons for this time of year. Massive seaweed belt still on track to hit US: When will it arrive? A record . Sargassum Seaweed 2023 Forecast: Where the Stinky Algae Will Appear Ten endemic species live nowhere else on Earth. But the overall mass this year is overwhelming. "It's a complex picture. 2019). Mostly, it doesnt wash up in large amounts like the sargassum., Sargassum seaweed washes ashore north of Ormond Beach. Thats because strong south winds have pushed the Gulf Loop Current, which originates in the Caribbean, farther north than normal, he said. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. Satellite Images: 5,000-Mile Seaweed Bloom Threatens Florida Beaches Winds, currents and even small storms can influence where the sargassum moves. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Fogg said the county currently is letting the sargassum decompose on the beach and has no plans to remove it. The fishermen are loving it, says Fogg, referring to the small amount of sargassum thats currently in the area. These US beaches will be dangerous or gross this holiday weekend.

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