As sargassum begins to disintegrate, it begins to emit a scent reminiscent of rotten eggs. (Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images)
Millions of tons of seaweed have washed up on Caribbean coastlines in recent weeks, and as the mass decomposes, the foul odor is making life difficult for wildlife and even causing schools to temporarily close.
A record 39 million tons (37.5 million metric tons) of sargassum filled the Caribbean Sea and parts of the Atlantic Ocean in May, according to a report from the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Laboratory. That amount significantly exceeded the previous record of 24 million tons (22 million metric tons) recorded in June 2022.
As a result, beaches from Puerto Rico to Guyana are littered with seaweed, and scientists predict that such flooding will continue in the coming weeks.
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“As in most previous years, Sargassum abundance is expected to increase in most regions in June,” the scientists said in a report released May 31. “More Sargassum is expected to be transported into the western Caribbean Sea and then into the Gulf [of Mexico] via the Yucatan. Sargassum floods will continue to occur in most Caribbean countries and islands, as well as along the southeast coast of Florida.”
Sargassum is a brown, spiny seaweed with air bubbles that keep it afloat. Each year, Sargassum abundance in the Atlantic and Caribbean Seas peaks in the spring, remains high throughout the summer, and declines in the late fall and winter.
But in recent years, scientists have seen an increase in Sargassum. “The peaks seem to be getting bigger each year,” Brian Barnes, an associate professor of physical oceanography at the University of South Florida and a co-author of the new report, told The Guardian.
The reason for the rise remains a mystery, but experts suspect agricultural runoff, rising water temperatures, and changes in winds, currents and rainfall may all play a role, The Guardian reports.
Fresh sargassum has a seaweed-like odor and helps maintain a healthy ocean ecosystem, but piles of decomposing sargassum that wash up on beaches emit a mixture of ammonia gas and hydrogen sulfide that causes the rotten-egg smell, Chuanmin Hu, a professor of optical oceanography at the University of South Florida and a co-author of the new report, explained in an email to Live Science.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
