Causes of Sargassum seaweed

Very informative video.
https://www.facebook.com/Bonairepho...fSTExNTY1MTk3MzQ6MjkyNDY5OTAwMTA4ODc5Mg/

Excellent video. As anyone knows who has set up a home aquarium the two keys of suppressing algae is nutrient-free water and the proper water temperature. The phosphates and nitrates that abound in nutrient rich waters is the perfect growth formula for algae, and sargassum sea grasses. Add to this a touch of global warming (just a degree or two) and the problem intensifies quickly. As he points out the farm run-offs from fertilizers, etc. in the southern U.S. and South America are the primary culprits. The 23 islands of the Caribbean will need to unite and ask the United States, Brazil, etc. for financial assistance in combatting this problem. It's not going to get better on its own; it's headed full speed in the other direction. We have all seen it first hand in St. Martin, and on our most recent visit to Cancun it is gaining in intensity down there, too.

Found that very informative, thank you, wonder where the red tide stuff is coming from if this comes all the way from S. America?

There is an interesting article in the June National Geographic on sargassum.

A daunting task which must be faced.

https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/plankton/every-breath-you-take-thank-ocean

https://thisisseaweed.com/pages/the-impact-on-our-environment

https://www.aquaculturealliance.org/blog/seaweed-aquaculture-benefits/

https://envirobites.org/2018/02/22/can-seaweed-farming-help-fight-climate-change/


I know seaweed sucks at our favorite resort beach, but is it bad when floating at sea?

First article from Smithsonian says half the oxygen we breathe cones from seaweed.

Seaweed generates oxygen, reduces ocean acidification, feeds sealife, slows beach erosion.

Maybe we all ought to crowdsource a solar-powered seaweed tractor for resorts to pretty up there beaches

There's seaweed and then there's a seaweed infestation. What's going on here in the latter, and it needs to be taken very seriously. Many fish and aquatic animals do feed on this (tangs, surgeonfish, parrotfish, etc.) but in these concentrations it is not possible to contain this with such herbivores. When it collects it suffocates the sea life below it, and eliminates the oxygen exchange with the air that is so vital for a healthy ecosystem. It is simply overwhelming the eastern facing shores and beaches of these otherwise beautiful areas. The suggestion to set up off-shore barges to collect this stuff on a daily basis is probably the best (and only) way to deal with this at this time.

It's also important to note that sea grasses are algae, and the 'red tide' is not actually algae by rather cyanobacteria. Algae is good for many reasons, but not in the concentrations we are now seeing. Cyanobacteria is never a good thing, and can inflict serious damage to marine life when such outbreaks occur. Excessive nutrients in the water lead to algae blooms, whereas oxygen deprivation can trigger a red tide outbreak.

Recently, my wife and I were in Cancun staying in the 'hotel zone' there. In the past I never encountered much algae when I went to the beach and into the water. But, at our last visit (late April/early May) I was surprised by the amount of sargassum I saw afloat in the water and collecting on the pristine white sand beaches there. Not as bad as SXM (yet), but I could see the pattern forming here. A young man carefully raked up the sargassum each morning with a metal rake, collected it, and by 10:00 a.m. the beach was clear of the stuff. But, every day he had to repeat the same the same tasks. I talked with him as best I could in 'broken' Spanish, and he told me this was is main job every morning six days a week (he gets one day off each week).

The Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Belize, etc. need to form a commission to take this head on right now, and not five years down the road. Let's hope this happens soon or a place like Orient Beach may eventually become a deserted beach where swimming is no longer possible.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...north-atlantic-gyre-supports-ocean-life/

Another good article from nat geo

I lived on the intracoastal south of Titusville, FL for awhile. For a few weeks each fall the seaweed would get blown over to the west bank of the river, pile up and rot. THE SMELL WAS SO BAD. You would get home from work open the car and run into the condo and keep windows closed.

So I feel for those with rotting seaweed.

Solar powered, unmanned GPS guided Sargassum harvesters.