Dear MEL Topic Readers,
31 million tons of supercharged seaweed is creeping toward beaches in
Florida and around the Caribbean
Sargassum is a brown seaweed that typically floats on the surface of
warm, nutrient-rich waters. While it provides vital habitat and food for
various marine species, including fish, crabs, shrimp, sea turtles, and birds,
it could create "brown tides" that smother coastal flora and fauna,
including coral reefs, when it blooms. Also, when it rots on shore, it emits
harmful gases and stinks. This year’s bloom of sargassum in the Caribbean
region, the Gulf, and the South Florida region is estimated to be 31 million
tons, about 40% more than the previous record in 2022. Rising ocean
temperatures due to global warming is the first to blame. Also, runoff of the
nitrogen-rich agricultural fertilizers from the Mississippi and Amazon rivers supercharges
the brown seaweed. Sargassum’s impacts on the ocean ecosystem, fisheries, tourism
industry, and health of coastal residents are substantial. But just like other
environmental disasters and catastrophes that are triggered by human-caused global
warming, sargassum may bloom even more in the coming years.
Read the article and learn about the brown seaweed that is showing the
record-high blooming off the coast of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico
(America).
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/15/climate/seaweed-bloom-florida-atlantic-ocean-climate
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