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The Sargassum Problem.
On many windward beaches in the Caribbean and east coast of the USA you will come across huge swathes of sargassum covering the rocks, in the shallows and strewn across the beach.
The sargassum problem is getting worse.
This seaweed can build up and if doesn’t get washed away or cleaned up, it can begin to start rotting – providing a delightful smell to the local area. This is actually quite dangerous, the gases released are hydrogen sulphide, and if too much is breathed in can be toxic.
The decomposition along coastlines can cause huge areas of oxygen depletion, eventually resulting in large fish mortality events.
The Sargassum problem, the build up of sargassum on the windward beaches of Mayreau.
What is Sargassum?
Sargassum is a type of seaweed, which is special in the way it grows. It doesn’t need to ‘hold on’ to anything to stay alive, it can float on the surface of the sea, growing and expanding. It often forms huge swathes, which you can see from the air when you fly over it…
These huge swathes can block light from reaching coral reefs and seagrasses which need light to function, and entangle sea turtles and marine mammals.
The sargassum problem is so huge it can be seen from the plane window!
But this isn’t a new thing. Sargassum has been around for years and years. In fact there’s a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean called the Sargassum Sea. Sailors have been encountering this huge area, hundreds of square miles of sargassum which seems to go on forever and trying to make their way through what seems a never-ending floating seaweed swamp.
The difference is, the sargassum problem is getting worse.
Sargassum patches can be amazing. They support lots of sea life, including juvenile sea turtles, baby sharks, small fish and invertebrates. It provides a source of food for many. It is converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. However sargassum is thriving in the increasing CO2 levels, and higher temperatures the world is encountering, increased nutrient levels are making these patches bigger and bigger. The sargassum problem is increasing.
However this sargassum problem is getting worse, the patches of sargassum are growing. Increasing numbers of bad weather systems are breaking up the large patches into many more smaller patches, which are then carried around the ocean by the wind and currents, slowly growing.
These big patches of seaweed can collect lots of plastics too. The ocean trash builds up here. This leads to further consequences.
Sargassum is also filling up our filters… this can cause severe consequences if not checked on a regular basis and kept on top of. It can also foul boat propellors causing big problems.
