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96872
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida by Rachel Tucker - 03/13/23 7:21 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Marine scientists are tracking a 5,000-mile-wide seaweed bloom that is so large, it can be seen from space. These sargassum blooms are nothing new, but scientists say this one could be the largest in history. At last check, it was heading toward Florida’s Gulf coast. The thick mat of algae drifts between the Atlantic coast of Africa and the Gulf of Mexico, providing habitat for marine life and absorbing carbon dioxide, but it can also wreak havoc when when it gets closer to shore. It blocks light from reaching coral and negatively impacts air and water quality as it decomposes. Florida’s Gulf coast is already grappling with an algae bloom amid the busy spring break tourism season. Red tide has caused dead fish to wash ashore in droves, while the risk of respiratory irritation for humans has canceled events and driven beachgoers away. With a blanket of sargassum approaching, spanning twice the width of the continental U.S., scientists warn that Florida beaches could soon be inundated with seaweed. “It’s incredible,” Brian LaPointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute told NBC News. “What we’re seeing in the satellite imagery does not bode well for a clean beach year.” LaPointe, who has studied the blooms for decades, said beaches in the Florida Keys are already being affected. Earlier this week, parts of Mexico were told to prepare for up to three feet of sargassum to build up on shore. Chunks of brown plant matter may be unappealing to look at, but the impact on humans does not end there. Large pieces of sargassum can ensnare boats and other machinery in the water. “Even if it’s just out in coastal waters, it can block intake valves for things like power plants or desalination plants, marinas can get completely inundated and boats can’t navigate through,” Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science told NBC News. “It can really threaten critical infrastructure.” Rotting sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide, which can cause respiratory problems for tourists, residents and anyone who works on the water, LaPointe told NBC News. “Following the big 2018 blooms, doctors in Martinique and Guadeloupe reported thousands of people going to clinics with breathing complications from the air that was coming off these rotting piles of sargassum,” LaPointe said. Barnes and his colleagues at USF’s Optical Oceanography Laboratory track sargassum blooms. The blanket of seaweed appears to be growing each year, but 2018 and 2022 had the largest blooms, he said. This year could top last year’s record. “Historically, as far back as we have records, sargassum has been a part of the ecosystem, but the scale now is just so much bigger,” Barnes told NBC News. “What we would have thought was a major bloom five years ago is no longer even a blip.” Scientists have found that climate change is causing ocean temperatures to rise, creating a more ideal environment for the algae to thrive. Meanwhile, urban and agriculture runoff is sending nitrates from fertilizers and other nutrients flowing into the ocean, feeding the bloom. Typically, rafts of sargassum gather in the Sargassum Sea region in the northern Atlantic Ocean. From there, the Gulf Stream pushes the algae around the Atlantic basin, which allows it to spread and grow in different areas. |
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96901
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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Satellite images show 5,000-mile seaweed belt creeping closer to US by Alix Martichoux - 03/26/23 10:55 AM ET FILE – Birds walk on sargassum seaweed floating on the Caribbean Sea in Tulum, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Aug. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) (NEXSTAR) – Over the next few months, a massive belt of seaweed is projected to make its way closer to Florida and the Caribbean, and pile up in mounds as it washes ashore. It’s not just an eyesore — the seaweed, called sargassum, smells terrible as it rots, and can cause breathing issues for some. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt stretches from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. It’s not a new occurrence, but satellite images captured in February showed an earlier start than usual for such a large accumulation in the open ocean. Massive seaweed belt still on track to hit US: When will it arrive? More images taken in March (below) show the bulk of the mass is still out in the Atlantic Ocean, but traces can be seen coming up into the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Satellite images show the sargassum belt in March 2023. (Courtesy USF/NOAA) Satellite images show the sargassum belt in March 2023. (Courtesy USF/NOAA) Satellite images show the sargassum belt in March 2023. (Courtesy USF/NOAA) Satellite images show the sargassum belt in March 2023. (Courtesy USF/NOAA) Satellite images show the sargassum belt in March 2023. (Courtesy USF/NOAA) Some sargassum has already started washing up in Florida, the health department said, but the worst is unfortunately still to come. Scientists are closely monitoring satellite imagery to identify areas where beaching may occur. It’s tricky to predict the exact timing of the seaweed’s movement, but the sargassum is expected to really start washing up in late spring and early summer, said Chuanmin Hu, who tracks the belt as a researcher at USF’s College of Marine Science. These states could be on daylight saving time permanently if new bill passes Another satellite image zooms in on Key Largo, in the Florida Keys, which is one of the areas Hu predicts will be most impacted in the U.S. The green spots visible off the coast on the map are sargassum patches. A satellite image from Mar 11, 2023 shows an area 5-10 miles east of Key Largo, Florida, with Sargassum mats appearing as “greenish balloons” off the coast. (Courtesy USF/NOAA) When it does start to arrive en masse, the southeast coast of Florida (from Miami to Palm Beach) and the ocean side of the Florida Keys will start to see the seaweed pile up. Florida’s western side will be mostly spared, Hu said, but the area between Panama City and Mobile Bay could get some sargassum washing up later in spring. Scientists estimate there’s more than 10 million metric tons of sargassum in the belt this year. Rick Lumpkin, director of the Physical Oceanography Division at NOAA, called it “one of the strongest years, but not the strongest” since scientists began closely observing the biomass via satellite imagery in 2011. Sargassum — in normal quantities — actually contributes to a valuable ocean ecosystem. The problems start when the seaweed comes on land and starts to rot. As it decays, sargassum lets off hydrogen sulfide and smells like rotten eggs, explains the Florida Department of Health. It can irritate people’s eyes, nose and throat, and trigger breathing issues for people with asthma. “Sargassum is also known to often contain heavy metals that can be toxic to humans and animals,” NOAA explains. Brief exposure isn’t enough to make people sick, but prolonged exposure — especially for those with respiratory issues — can be dangerous, scientists say. Hu said it could be an issue for hotel workers and others who may spend hours removing the decomposing sargassum from beaches. Left to rot on the beach, sargassum can turn into a problem. It can harm coastal marine ecosystems and also supports the growth of fecal bacteria. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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96876
From: pamela, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
| Is this the kind of seaweed good for gardens and soil? |
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[96877] [96879] [96881] [96882] [96884] [96885] [96880]
96877
From: sher, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
| If it is, it’s could be looked at as something good. |
96879
From: pamela, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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Know a man in Scotland whose preparing his soil for gardening, he and his son just went to their coast and gathered seaweed for their garden. I told him about the giant seaweed coming towards Florida. Maybe an omen, for people to get serious about planting/preparing their gardens. |
96881
From: Eve, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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It is probably not the best idea to harvest the seaweed in Florida because of there is almost always now a toxic algal blooms that contain cyanobacteria that can mingle with it (hence red tide and fish kill)...It can cause skin irritations, produce toxins and cause serious health impacts. I have been sick from breathing the fumes of it after a hurricane spun it around in the air and then there was a toxic bloom in the pond out back of me I did not even get that close to it and it made me terribly sick...after a dose of antibiotics I got better thankfully. It can also cause health issues for many other pets. One of the major problems that cause it is overuse of pesticides and herbicides and other waste run off into the water and other factors also contribute to the problem. Then there are those weird amoebas, rare but weird. |
96882
From: pamela, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
| 👍😪thanks, I wondered about that. |
96884
From: sher, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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Wow! Thanks Eve! I am so sorry for your health issues. Take care of yourself. |
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[96885]
96885
From: Eve, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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thanks sher, no worries :0) all is well now I am just more cautious when the wind whips around during storms and when I see big algae blooms. |
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96880
From: sher, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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Thanks Pam. I’m getting a garden started soon. Temperature still dipping down into the 20’s at night. Hopefully by next week. Take care and again thanks. |
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96874
From: Olga, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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Ron De Sargasso has a blob magnet mindset... instant karma? The universe has a wicked sense of humor! Florida is already viewed as the flaccid p*n*s of the US...about to drop off or go under. What's a blob 5,000 miles wide going to cause that he hasn't already caused? Mucking up the gears sounds about right. GO SEAWEED! |
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[96875]
96875
From: Eve, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Giant seaweed blob twice the width of the US takes aim at Florida
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Full Name: Olga SeeWeed Wacker |
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