Nexstar Media reports:
Bits of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt – a 5,000-mile-wide seaweed bloom – have started to wash up in Florida, but we’re likely months away from peak activity, researchers said Sunday.
Photos show piles of the algae starting to accumulate on beaches in Fort Lauderdale, and videos posted by Fox Weather show it piling up in marinas and lagoons of the Florida Keys.
The real problems with sargassum – which can contribute to a healthy ocean ecosystem out on the water – start when the seaweed starts tumbling onto beaches. As it washes ashore and rots, the algae smell like rotten eggs. It can cause breathing issues for people with sensitivities and asthma.
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Massive clumps of seaweed, known as sargassum, from a huge blob floating in from the Atlantic Ocean are littering beaches on Florida’s east coast.
Both homeowners and business owners are worried about its longterm impact: “This is not what I bargained for.” pic.twitter.com/x9kTa2MzVk
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) May 1, 2023
A giant seaweed bloom that can be seen from space is threatening beaches in Florida and Mexico. The algae, which can grow up to 12 feet tall, was first spotted in the Gulf of Mexico this spring. Scientists aren’t sure what’s causing the bloomshttps://t.co/3xX3HoNIMq
— ?J_S? (@JENNIFE17104600) May 1, 2023
This year’s sargassum mass could be the largest on record — spanning more than 5,000 miles from the coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.
A 5,000-mile-wide blob of seaweed is headed for Florida, threatening tourism across the Caribbean | CNN
A sprawling mat of seaweed called … pic.twitter.com/qlU8PVxvPq— Claudia Emireni (@ClaudiaEmi12110) May 1, 2023
As if Ron DeSantis wasn’t facing enough problems right now, scientists have spotted a giant blob of more than 13 million tons of goopy, yellowish-brown Sargassum seaweed drifting in the Atlantic Ocean — and it could soon cover beaches in Florida.
Tangles of the leafy seaweed… pic.twitter.com/Lwv8PbFRiB
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) April 25, 2023