Record amount of seaweed washes ashore for Florida spring breakers, scientists fear it could be worse in July
NASA scientists can monitor and measure this seaweed from satellites. NASA scientists have noticed a record amount of seaweed washing ashore in Florida this week, and they fear it could be worse in July due to increasing nutrients from fertilizers and changing ocean circulations. The belt of seaweeds called Sargassum has been forming from the West Coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, and has grown larger in the last ten years. When this seaweed ishes ashore, it releases a hydrogen sulfide gas, making it smell like rotten eggs. Tourist hot spots must spend millions of dollars plowing this green off their beaches like snow.
نشرت : منذ عامين بواسطة Elisa Raffa في Weather
(QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Spring break might be smelly for some in Florida this week as record amounts of seaweed wash ashore.
NASA scientists can monitor and measure this seaweed from satellites.
Since 2011, scientists have noticed this belt of seaweed called Sargassum has been forming from the West Coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. It usually peaks in July but fast-tracked to record levels in March this year.
Scientists have also noticed this seaweed belt has grown larger in the last ten years. This graphic shows the growing trend since 2011.
While there could be a few reasons for the boom, scientists think it is growing because of increasing nutrients from fertilizers getting into our waters and changing ocean circulations.
This could have negative impacts on the ocean ecosystem. Some seaweed is good because it provides a habitat or a place to live for things like turtles, fish, and birds. But too much of it can make it hard for certain marine animals to move. It can also make breathing hard for them, often smothering corals and seagrasses.
When this seaweed washes ashore, it releases a hydrogen sulfide gas, making it smell like rotten eggs. This makes the beautiful blue waters smelly but also murky and dark. Tourist hot spots must spend millions of dollars plowing this green off their beaches like snow.
It can be a real problem for places that rely on tourism. With record levels already reported in March, scientists are concerned the peak in July could be even worse. This is a video from that process in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, two years ago.
For more on NASA’s report, click here.
المواضيع: Florida