Seaweed Could Be Worse Than Ever This Year Thanks to Growing 5,500-Mile Patch of Sargassum

[NickB79]

https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/lifestyle/seaweed-could-worse-ever-thanks-184631578.html

The discovery of a 5,500-mile patch of brown seaweed that stretches across the Atlantic Ocean —from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico—could spell trouble for Southern beachgoers this year.

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Thick mats of it make it hard for sea creatures to move and breathe, and when it dries, Sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs.

Dr. Canfield, your table is ready. Paging Dr. Canfield......

[fierywoman]

1. Just curious: is any of this seaweed the kind that is healthy to eat?

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Wondering if excess CO2 levels are contributing to this growth? NT

[Loki Liesmith]

3. Hope so

Anything pulling out excess carbon is at this point a net plus.

[NickB79]

4. Until it rots and releases lethal amounts of hydrogen sulfide

https://news.psu.edu/story/211836/2005/02/21/global-warming-led-climatic-hydrogen-sulfide-and-permian-extinction

In the end-Permian, as the levels of atmospheric oxygen fell and the levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide rose, the upper levels of the oceans could have become rich in hydrogen sulfide catastrophically. This would kill most the oceanic plants and animals. The hydrogen sulfide dispersing in the atmosphere would kill most terrestrial life.

[Loki Liesmith]

5. A significant fraction of dead sargassum will sink

Taking the carbon and other pollutants down with it. The time scale on release of those gases is fairly large and wouldn’t be my first worry wrt climate.