DANIA BEACH, Fla. – Florida’s scorching summer season is bringing extra than simply sunshine. This week, seashores from Dania to Fort Lauderdale discovered themselves blanketed in thick mounds of smelly, decomposing seaweed — a now-familiar customer often called sargassum.
Locals and guests had been greeted by the unmistakable scent of rotten eggs, a results of the seaweed releasing hydrogen sulfide gasoline because it breaks down below the sweltering July solar. Whereas not harmful in small quantities, the scent is sufficient to clear sunbathers from fashionable spots like Dania Seashore.
“It’s a part of the brand new regular throughout Florida summers,” stated one native beachgoer. “Each few months, we cross our fingers that it doesn’t pile up an excessive amount of.”
The wrongdoer behind this pure mess is a mixture of persistent ocean currents and easterly winds, which push the brown algae towards the coast. Whereas the inflow isn’t as excessive as in different elements of the Atlantic, it nonetheless poses a problem for seaside cleanup crews and tourism-dependent communities.
A Rising Development, Not a One-Off
Picture Stories from FB GroupSargassum Seaweed Florida: Day by day Updates and Picture Stories
This marks at the least the third main sargassum wave this 12 months, with related seaside takeovers reported in April and Might. And consultants warn the season is probably not over.
In accordance with the College of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab, the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and tropical Atlantic are nonetheless coping with bigger concentrations of sargassum, though there’s hope. Latest bulletins counsel that whereas deep-ocean blooms could begin to decline in late summer season, extra localized surges may hit coastal areas — particularly in locations just like the Yucatán, the Bahamas, and Florida.
That makes long-term forecasting tough. “Native wind and present situations play a serious function,” stated USF researchers. “Even when total concentrations drop, pockets can nonetheless kind and drift ashore unexpectedly.”
Extra Than Only a Nuisance?
Although sargassum could also be smelly and unpleasant, it’s not totally dangerous information. The seaweed performs a useful function in marine ecosystems, providing shelter and meals for creatures like small fish, shrimp, and crabs. Environmentalists warning towards hasty elimination, particularly within the water, the place it serves as a floating nursery.
That stated, Florida well being officers advise beachgoers to be cautious. Whereas the seaweed itself is usually innocent, tiny marine organisms that conceal inside it might trigger pores and skin irritation or rashes in some individuals.
The Street Forward
Because the local weather warms and ocean patterns proceed to shift, scientists predict sargassum blooms could develop into extra frequent — and probably extra intense. For now, Florida beachgoers are studying to reside with the seaweed, whilst they hope for clearer sands forward.
Within the meantime, cleanup crews stay on excessive alert, and tourism boards urge guests to verify native seaside situations earlier than heading out.
