Massive Seaweed Blob Headed for Florida

[RandySF]

Tangles of the goopy, leafy seaweed have already begun to wash ashore beaches in southern Florida and Mexico. In the coming months, they could start emitting a rotting stench as they decay, potentially posing health risks to beachgoers.

Floating mats of seaweed accumulate in the central Atlantic Ocean for much of the year. But during the spring and summer, patches of it are carried by ocean currents toward the Caribbean, eastern Florida and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast.

It’s hard to predict how much will creep onto beaches in the coming months, but the right combination of ocean currents and wind conditions could push a lot of it ashore, experts said.

Some parts of the Florida Keys have already seen unusually large amounts of seaweed for this time of year, said Brian Lapointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University who has studied Sargassum for most of his career.




https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/19/climate/seaweed-florida-sargassum.html

[mucifer]

1. i am fantasizing about it headed right for the governor's mansion

[malaise]

2. It's the new

Red Wave😀😀😀

[Jerry2144]

3. It's already there

In Merde Ala Largo, throwing catchup against the wall with tiny fingers

[twodogsbarking]

4. That isn't going to smell like roses.

[PJMcK]

5. The bloom has reached the Florida Keys

We've been sailing in Florida for the past couple of months. The stuff is already washing ashore on the beaches. It's ugly and gross and too expansive to clean every day.

I worry about it rotting on shore. I also worry about it clogging the intake strainers on boats and ships.

[lastlib]

6. Is it orange, by any chance?

asking for a friend.

[Chakaconcarne]

7. God is not at all happy with Floriduh.

That's the only logical reason for this happening.

[lapucelle]

8. Largest-yet seaweed bloom headed to Florida and Caribbean

Largest-yet seaweed bloom headed to Florida and Caribbean

[...]As of April 2023, this year’s sargassum bloom is headed for the Caribbean and east coast of Florida. While some areas are already seeing the sargassum come ashore, the bulk of it is expected to arrive in June or July

[...]

Sargassum that has washed up onto the beach decomposes and smells like rotten eggs. And, on April 6, 2023, The Weather Channel warned Florida residents and visitors not to touch the seaweed.

Some of the organisms that live in the seaweed, such as microscopic jellyfish, larvae, and other creatures, can cause rashes.

https://earthsky.org/earth/massive-seaweed-bloom-sargassum-florida-and-caribbean-2023/