Sargasso invasion now reaches Florida beaches

MIAMI FLA. (Reportur/Agencies) – The massive recharge of sargasso affects, in addition to Mexico, all the Caribbean coasts. The macro algae has already invaded the coasts of Florida, whose effects have a negative impact on the tourism industry in the area.

“A global change is taking place and the sargasso is becoming detrimental. In fact, it is the largest harmful algal bloom on Earth,” said Brian Lapointe, research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.

The increasing recession in the Caribbean has also reached Florida, as can be seen in the images, covering almost all of the sand on the beaches, something that has already begun to cause serious problems for the U.S. state.

According to the scientists’ latest monthly report, published on May 30, the forecast is 556 square miles of seaweed floating in the Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean, ten times the historical average for the same time period between 2011-2017 and longer than on May 2018.

Lapointe, along with other experts, suspect that ocean currents and winds caused by climate change are one of the culprits in the arrival of the sargasso. Although one of the main reasons for the sargasso’s origin could have been deforestation in the Amazon basin and the use of fertilizers that, along with rain, favors the flowering of algae.

East winds have driven the spread of sargasso in South America and the Gulf of Mexico, leaving a terrible smell on the beaches and directly affecting tourists and bathers.

“The stench of rotten eggs, as well as the accumulation of algae in the water and on the beach has made us leave sooner”. Told the Weather Channel, Dave Small, a tourist who recently visited the Keys in South Florida.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the “Sargasso Summit” will finally be held on June 27 at the Moon Palace Hotel, after the one originally scheduled for May 28 was suspended for the June 2 elections, as reported by REPORTUR.mx

The Government of Quintana Roo has also published a declaration for the application of combat protocols to the sargasso in which the collection, transport, disposal and valorization of the sargasso that reaches the coasts of Quintana Roo is established as a priority.

In addition, the heads of the Secretariats of Government, Ecology and Environment, Tourism, Public Works, Finance and Planning and Senior Officials are instructed to establish the protocols in a coordinated manner.

The Yucatan Times
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