31 million tons of supercharged seaweed is creeping toward beaches in Florida and around the Caribbean

Record Sargasso Seaweed Bloom Threatens Tourism. Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Florida Affected.

Tons of smelly, toxic seaweed washing up on Florida beaches

Sargassum has been spreading across Florida beaches, and as it rots on shore, it emits gases that are harmful to humans and animals. Learn more:

31 million tons of supercharged seaweed is creeping toward beaches in Florida and around the Caribbean

Sargassum hurts ecosystems and economies wherever its overgrown arms reach. And the seaweed is reaching into Florida’s waterways, coating marinas and beaches in the Miami area.

How a toxic seaweed choking Caribbean beaches could become a valuable resource

Marc Bruxelle/ShutterstockEach year, between March and October, large amounts of brown seaweed called sargassum wash up on the shores of Caribbean islands – choking beaches, damaging marine life and threatening tourism and public health. But a number of local entrepreneurs are hoping the seaweed could create an economic opportunity. From the coast of west Africa to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, climate change is warming the temperatu…

Florida, Caribbean beaches could be choked out by record levels of Sargassum seaweed this summer

As summer approaches, beachgoers may need to check an additional forecast detail before heading to the shore: the Sargassum seaweed situation.

Since 2011, the Caribbean coasts have been increasingly invaded by large, floating masses of sargassum. In the Dominican Republic, this phenomenon has generated millions in economic losses, severely impacting tourism, fishing, the energy industry, and coastal ecosystems. Despite various institutional and private efforts, the response has been, for the most part, delayed and reactive. Now, a scientific project led by Dominican biologist Francisco…