Aerial monitoring of sargassum begins on the coasts of Quintana Roo

As in previous years, massive arrival of sargassum is expected for the coast of Quintana Roo.

The Secretary of the Navy, with the support of specialists, began aerial monitoring to verify the conditions of the coast in the face of the massive arrival of sargassum. An issue that needs to be addressed in a weekly basis.

Alejandro Bravo Quezada, oceanography specialist and crew member of the first overflight from north to south of Quintana Roo, stated that the arrival of these macroalgae, will be as abundant as in previous years.

He explained that the main impact is registered in the reef lagoons and bays, where sargassum stagnates, decomposes and negatively impacts the flora and fauna that inhabits there.

“This is a direct order of the President of the Republic, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. We have a large aircraft, very well equipped with windows where it is possible to see practically everywhere. ”

The plane departed from the naval base located in Chetumal and flew above the Xcalak coast, passing over Mahahual, Sian Ka’an, the Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Cancún and Isla Blanca. The same back.

The specialist reported that damaged areas were spotted in the reef lagoons of Punta Herrero, and all the way down to Xcalak. When sargassum stagnates and rots, it leaves a “chocolate” color material, and low oxygen water for the flora and fauna species that inhabit those areas.

“It is a very dense material that remains on the shore, and it is highly concentrated in some parts,” he said.
He even argued that in some of the areas most impacted by sargassum, the white sand of the Caribbean has turned brown.

Meanwhile, in the north of the state, from Tulum to Cancun, currently the sands remain white and in apparent good condition, as if the sargassum had been cleaned up.

He said that the severe damage in the south is due to the fact that there is little capacity to pick up the algae from the beach, since in many of these areas, in the north of the state, there are no affectations.