An overabundance of sargassum was blamed for the recent deaths of thousands of fish at the French Caribbean island of Martinique. Belize : SPTC tackling the Sargassum issue with a new response plan, 18/02/2023 NASA-USF & SIMAR-SATsum-Conabio Sargassum Seaweed Bulletin, 11/02/2023 NASA-USF & SIMAR-SATsum-Conabio Sargassum Seaweed Bulletin, Martinique : Sargasses, le littoral mconnaissable du Vauclin, 05/02/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views. Are there longer-run impacts that might not be included in our model? Managing sargassum will take a heavy lift among the city, county, state, federal and local business owners. "It did ruin my personal beach plans.". Dcouverte surprenante dans les sargasses au Mexique ! Follow the brown seaweeds invasion, check the older maps : Our maps are unique and famous because : Its easy to spy on sargassum with satellites because the seaweed contains chlorophyll, a green pigment that reflects infrared light much more markedly than seawater does. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. (Source photo by Sian Cobb) Does Key West always stink like this? Re: Sargassum Seaweed. The Pacific and Gulf coasts of Mexico are not affected by sargassum seaweed. Now, in the last decade, sargassum has been invading the Caribbean coasts, destroying its ecosystem and becoming a threat to the tourism sector. According to Hu, the data suggests that the amount of sargassum that reaches the coasts is growing steadily. Heres what we found: Look, sargassum in the summer is normal, as any long-timer will tell you. (To satellites that detect infrared, Ed Yong wrote in The Atlantic, sargassum blazes like a bonfire.) Thats how the team computed that last year the belt contained more than 22 million tons of seaweed, sprawling from the Gulf of Mexico to Africas western edge. While the uncontrolled accumulation of these algae is toxic in coastal regions, causing the massive death of many marine species, in the open sea they play a very important role in maintaining ecological balance. Christine, CEO-Founder of Sargassum Monitoring. The plant I was likely swimming frantically away from was a large brown alga called Sargassum. MTO FRANCE : 30/01/2023 Prvision dchouements dalgues sargasses, 28/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views, MTO FRANCE : 26/01/2023 Prvision dchouements dalgues sargasses, Mexico : 2023 un ao con mucho sargazo para el Caribe Mexicano, MTO FRANCE : 23/01/2023 Bulletin de prvision dchouements de sargasses plagiques, 21/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views, Mexico : Sol, mary sargazo: cmo la energa puede rescatar al paraso mexicano, MTO FRANCE Antilles Francaises : 16/01/2023 Bulletin de prvision dchouements de sargasses plagiques, 14/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views, ANTILLES FRANCAISES : 09/01/2023 BULLETIN DE PREVISION DECHOUEMENT DES SARGASSES PELAGIQUES, Mexico & Florida: Growth rates of pelagic Sargassum species in the Mexican Caribbean, 06/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views, ANTILLES FRANCAISES : 02/01/2023 BULLETIN DE PREVISION DECHOUEMENT DES SARGASSES PELAGIQUES, 01/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views. It all began in the summer of 2011, when sargassum started to accumulate on the beaches of many destinations with crystal clear waters and white sands. We dont want them anyway, they say, and since sargassum is normal, its not harming the environment. The Biden administration declared a federal emergency after the U.S. Virgin Islands warned last month of "unusually high amounts" of sargassum affecting water production at a desalination plant near St. Croix that is struggling to meet demand amid a drought. Ricardo Mazalan/AP Gulf of Mexico, and extending to the east coast of Florida and the Bahamas. So, no, there isn't a Sargassum problem in the Bahamas. */, Travelinglifestyle.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Copyright 2022 Traveling Lifestyle Network, LLC. Is it accurate to say that the conch season is now closed? USF-NASA : 2023 major blooms of sargassum ? But on Tuesday, the government announced it suspended removal efforts because the level of decomposition made it impractical. USF / NASA Alert: Second consecutive monthly doubling of Sargassum ! (Source: thecancunsun.com). Since the problem was pointed out by environmentalists and hotel owners, governments have sought ways to clean their affected beaches in order to recover tourism. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. they report the arrivals of sargassum in the entire Caribbean and more. The seaweed stinks as it rots in the sun, attracting flies, imperiling sea-turtle nests and fish, and churning the stomachs of beachgoers, who help prop up the economy of many coastal communities. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. The Rockport Analytics report went on to recommend the county ask and answer at least five questions. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-110369316', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Bahamas? Sargassum & Seaweed in the Turks & Caicos January 2023 Update: The Turks and Caicos is experiencing moderate to low levels of sargassum at this time. 2019: OMG! Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. Key West Island News connects Key West residents and friends of the island, fosters our One Human Family culture and advances understanding of shared goals for our island community. What is the best way to arrive in the Bahamas? Although most seaweed live in the depths, with their roots attached to the bottom of the sea, these two species can live at the surface because they have gas vesicles, an adaptative mechanism that improves photosynthesis and allows them to spend their lives floating, explains Rosa Rodrguez, a marine biologist at the Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). In 2020, the Navy eradicated 4% of the sargassum in the water, but 96% was removed from the beaches. The team suspects that the blooms are fed by fertilizers and other nutrients washing in from the Amazon River and nourished by upwelling from deeper waters off the coast of West Africa. July saw no decrease of algae in the Caribbean Sea, said Chuanmin Hu, an optical oceanography professor who helps produce the reports. Sargassum seaweed season lasts around 6 months in Mexico. Mexican Caribbean has seen an increase in Sargassum seaweed in the past few days. Sargassum in moderation helps purify water, absorb carbon dioxide and is a key habitat for fish, turtles, shrimp, crabs and other creatures. Report inappropriate content EGS-1 Northboro, MA Level Contributor 104 posts 2. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Scientists say more research is needed to determine why sargassum levels in the region are reaching new highs, but the United Nations' Caribbean Environment Program says possible factors include a rise in water temperatures as a result of climate change and nitrogen-laden fertilizers and sewage waste fueling algae blooms. The first report of the appearance of sargassum came from local fishermen and a newspaper in 2011, according to Chuanmin Hu, an oceanographer with the University of South Florida team, which began tracking its growth in the Gulf of Mexico in 2006. Minneapolis. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-110371379', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Bahamas does not have the same problem as many places that are swamped in deep seaweed piles on beaches and in the sea. Got something to say? Its too early to predict sargassum beachings in September. This brown tide is not only impacting the Caribbean. Don't let sargassum ruin your beach day! Re: Sargassum 1 year ago Save Take a look at this web site. And the record amounts reported in recent years are even more concerning for scientists and island governments. Jonathan Alpeyrie (Bloomberg) The first report of the appearance of sargassum came from local fishermen and a newspaper in 2011, according to Chuanmin Hu, an oceanographer with the University of South Florida team, which began tracking its growth in the Gulf of Mexico in 2006. This is misleading. She'll keep doing it for free until she gets bored. Be sure to look at the map, very, very interesting. So much so that scientists have upped their research and local municipalities are beginning to realize theyll need more than a couple of tractors to manage summer beaches. 2022 beaches impacted by Sargassum seaweeds. Offer subject to change without notice. "The sargassum stranding in the North Sound is unlike any we have experienced previously in terms of its location, weather conditions and scale," officials said. Cette dcision concerne Saint-Barthlmy, Saint-Martin, la Guadeloupe et la Martinique. more. USF / NASA Alert: Second consecutive monthly doubling of Sargassum ! Hello! IS there a sea weed problem too Atlantis beaches or is this only a problem in cancun? But she could use your help defraying expenses. SLS Baha Mar - need help deciding (option 2 is the Reef). The Queen wins, Six words to smooth over Key Wests minor irritations, Cuba and the Keys | Wrestling with frustration, failed politics and compassion. 2022, the overall Sargassum amount increased significantly across the tropical Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea (CS), the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), and the Central West Atlantic (CWA, i.e., the region east of the Lesser Antilles in the maps below), setting a new historical record for the month of April. Out in the open waterwhere the seaweed drifts freely across a region of the Atlantic called the Sargasso Seasargassum is a happy home for several creatures, including species of eels, shrimp, crabs, and Histrio histrio, also known as the sargassum fish. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Former college lecturer but never again! The brown-gold plant sloshes up on the sand in thick, gloopy waves so dense that, from the air, it looks like soil. The sargassum weve dealt with since 2011 is not the sargassum of long-timer memories. hide caption. Its a big, smelly problem, and researchers have recently suggested that its not going away any time soon. Posted Wed 3 Aug 2022 at 4:51pm Wednesday 3 Aug 2022 at 4:51pm Wed 3 Aug 2022 at 4:51pm, . Save. Either theyre fibbing or the only Key West beaches theyve seen recently are at the sand bars. August 3, 2022 2:30pm Updated Coasts in Barbados and across the Caribbean are experiencing record amounts of seaweed. Re: Sargassum/seaweed problems this summer? Yucatn Towns Get Creative, In Hotter Climate, 'Zombie' Urchins Are Winning And Kelp Forests Are Losing, Masses Of Seaweed Threaten Fisheries And Foul Beaches, Heat Wave Killed An Estimated 1 Billion Sea Creatures, And Scientists Fear Even Worse. USF-NASA : 2023 major blooms of sargassum ? aot 2, 2022 Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. Sargassum in moderation helps purify water, absorb carbon dioxide and is a key habitat for fish . ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-110849776', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Bahamas before (Cat) but the Sargassum is particularly bad this year and we needed to check, too, just for our peace of mind! When the unrestrained blankets of sargassum reach the coast, they prevent light from filtering to the seabed, which is essential for the biology of corals and types of algae that produce food through photosynthesis. Fort Zachary Taylor State Park August 2022, Summer 2022 sargassum blew past previous records for June, Every seaside beach in the Caribbean, western Mexico and into the Gulf of Mexico is swearing at this new sargassum, 2022: How sargassum is affecting the Caribbean, Rockport Analytics 2020 executive summary on Monroe County sargassum impact, Marine expert Brian Lapointe, background and research. Long Beach is covered with sargassum in Crest Church parish along the south coast of Barbados on July 27. As predicted, small amount was observed in the CS and minimal amount was observed in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), but moderate to large amounts of Sargassum were . Mallory Square | Lets mix and match the design options, Its going to be a cold one: Five ways to weather a Key West Christmas. Since 2018, Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), like the rest of the Caribbean countries, has been reporting masses of sargassum seaweed on its beaches. Find beaches without seaweed in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. And, someday, when we can afford it, we'll pay our regular contributors with more than our gratitude. In the Cayman Islands, a thick carpet of sargassum had prompted officials to launch a trial program in which crews pumped more than 2,880 square feet (268 square meters) of seaweed out of the. According to the strongest hypotheses, climate change is behind the spread and uncontrolled growth of sargassum. Last year, the number dropped to 3% and is now at 1% in 2022. Can a long-run strategy be put into place that amortizes the cost of mitigation over a longer period of time? We'd love to share your columns, articles and photos and videos with our readers. In the Cayman Islands, a thick carpet of sargassum had prompted officials to launch a trial program in which crews pumped more than 2,880 square feet (268 square meters) of seaweed out of the water. Heck, even Christopher Columbus wrote about seeing it floating in the Atlantics Sargasso Sea (hence, the name). Its well past the worst season and Im on the Mexican Gulf coast at the moment. Florida USA : Invasion of the seaweed. Mexico : Norma Muoz: La gente no est informada de los efectos del sargazo, dice que las afectaciones las mand Dios, Mexico : EL SARGAZO NO SE CONVIERTE EN ARENA, France : Bilan du BRGM : les taux mesurs en arsenic et en chlorure de sodium dpassent les normes imposes, Sargassum is worsening the conditions of the poorest people in Ghana, Un mystre aux proportions ocaniques : des algues sargasses forment dsormais un pont vgtal entre lAmrique et lAfrique, Republica Dominicana : Sargazo llega hasta las costas de Saman afectando las aguas del mar, Mexico : Sargazo, amenaza para el turismo y la salud, Mexico: On Mexicos Caribbean coast, mountains of seaweed grow, Florida USA : Invasion of the seaweed. Every beach in the world will have seaweed, but the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? A little sargassum helps prevent beach erosion, but when its a lot it has the opposite effect. thanks to the photos/videos and dates you can quickly make your own opinion on the real situation. Thanks! Share this app: Map Beaches Reports Submit a Report 2022, Sargasso Tracker Facebook Save. hide caption. Our maps are updated 365 days/year with photos/videos & dates. Therefore, the best time to visit is January and February. Sargassum is a brown macroalgae that has wreaked havoc on the Caribbean, decimating coastal ecosystems and threatening the tourism economy on which the region depends. In fact, experts are predicting that the sargassum crisis in 2023 could be as bad as the one in 2022, or even worse. This assessment focuses only on the tourism impacts of sargassum. Since 2011, the seaweed has made a mess across the tropical Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and east coast of Florida. And the same volume is suffocating the turtles and fish and putting the oceans oxygen levels at risk. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-110840797', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Bahamas is in the North Atlantic. We need sargassum. Hes also heard of beaches in Key West stained a muddy brown. Long Beach is covered with sargassum in Crest Church parish along the south coast of Barbados on July 27. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); #mc_embed_signup{background:#000000; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} My husband and I had planned a trip to the Caribbean for our 15th anniversary last year but obviously had to cancel it. Beaches in the hotel zone in Cancun are still relatively clean and well-maintained but plenty of the beaches on the coast such as Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Akumal or Playacar have already high levels of seaweed. Sponsors receive premium positions and links to their websites and social media. Welcome to the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, the Seaweed Superhighway. The official Maps received over 6 million views ! Can other stakeholders (private or public) at a local, state or federal level be engaged to provide additional resources towards mitigation? Maintaining our beaches remains a priority for Miami-Dade County Parks, recreation and Open Spaces. 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If you can't be bothered even to check the website a few times a week, subscribe to our newsletter. Comfort Inn access to Atlantis - EVERYTHING. Re: Sargassum/seaweed problems this summer? Its trickier to determine exactly why the blooms have gotten so huge. Out in the open waterwhere the seaweed drifts freely across a region of the Atlantic called the Sargasso Seasargassum is a happy home for several creatures, including species of eels, shrimp,. The beaches of Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Barbados, or islands such as San Andres, Guadeloupe or Martinique, among others, are affected by the blankets of seaweed every year. But, argue many locals, this happens every year and who cares if visitors stop coming because the beaches are nasty? /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. But, what we have now is not the Sargasso Sea variety with which we are familiar. Learn how to create your own. He noted it was 20% higher than the previous record set in May 2018. 3. Travel Advisory 2023, Cancun Has A New Plan To Drastically Reduce Sargassum Levels This Year, Privacy Policy & Terms of Use & Editorial Policies, The beaches of Isla Mujeres are already seaweed free. We do not serve the interests of any government or hotel association. The phenomenon has broken records this year and has become one of the great environmental concerns of the coastal areas of the region. January 2022, the overall Sargassum amount increased significantly from December 2021 across the Central Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea (CS). You can find the full report HERE. This summer's influx of sargassum, which has threatened water and energy production on St. Croix, has provoked the government to consider how it can best protect the people who have to deal with its clean-up and disposal. 1. In a new paper in Science, the researchers report that the blooms are probably fueled by several factors. "They're essentially being smothered out," Krimsky said. There is seaweed everywhere, that's just how things are unless you're staying at a resort where the house elves rake it all up for you while you're sleeping. Thank you for support our work. But it is bad for tourism, the economy and the environment when too much accumulates just offshore or on beaches. Even if taxpayers were to agree to fund massive, multi-times-per-day clean ups that trucked away sargassum on the sand, wed not make a dent in whats waiting in the water to wash ashore. Our sponsors include individuals, organizations, not-for-profits and businesses that share the Key West Island News' core values and mission.