Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt Explained

The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is a mass of Sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean, and is the largest macroalgae bloom in the world.[1] [2]

History

This Sargassum was first reported by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century but recently appeared in 2011 in the Atlantic.[3]

As of 2023, the belt is estimated to weigh about 5.5 million metric tonnes and extends, stretching from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.[4] [5]

Effects

Due to the smell, the attracted insects, and the sheer amount of it piling up on beaches, the Sargassum Belt has a negative impact on communities in the Caribbean, and West Africa.[6] When the Sargassum dies after about 48 hours on land, it releases hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas. The sulfide can irritate eyes, nose and throat and has a smell akin to that of rotting eggs.[7] The sulfide also can affect people with respiratory problems, including asthma.[8] In 2022, the largest bloom on record was recorded, causing Guadeloupe to issue a health alert, as well as the US Virgin Islands issuing a state of emergency, requesting help from FEMA.

By June 2023 clumps of Sargassum had begun reaching Florida, prompting marine biologists at the Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute to issue a warning against the presence of Vibrio bacteria on the algae.[9] The bacteria stick to plastic debris that gets tangled in the algae, risking both wildlife and humans.[10]

Cause

The buildup of Sargassum is caused by nutrients flowing into the Atlantic from water discharged by the Amazon and upwelling currents off West Africa. The Sargassum Belt, while in the Sargasso Sea, is different, composed of different morphological types of Sargassum. The Sargassum Belt has also been found to possess lower biodiversity than the Sargasso Sea and is mainly composed of more highly nutrient-efficient organisms.[11]

The Sargassum Belt forms in the North Atlantic Gyre as currents push the material into one mass, similar to the North Atlantic garbage patch.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Wang . Mengqiu . Hu . Chuanmin . Barnes . Brian B. . Mitchum . Gary . Lapointe . Brian . Montoya . Joseph P. . 2019-07-05 . The great Atlantic Sargassum belt . . en . 365 . 6448 . 83–87 . 2019Sci...365...83W . 10.1126/science.aaw7912 . 0036-8075 . 31273122 . 195804245 . March 18, 2023 . March 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317180700/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaw7912 . live . free .
  2. News: Shao . Elena . 2023-04-19 . Those Seaweed Blobs Headed for Florida? See How Big They Are. . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-04-19 . 0362-4331.
  3. News: Barberton . Zan . 2023-03-07 . The creeping threat of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt . en-GB . . 2023-03-18 . 0261-3077 . March 18, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230318111403/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/07/great-atlantic-sargassum-belt-seaweed-visible-from-space . live .
  4. Web site: March 1, 2023 . Outlook of 2023 Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico . University of South Florida . March 18, 2023 . March 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316000420/https://optics.marine.usf.edu/projects/SaWS/pdf/Sargassum_outlook_2023_bulletin2_USF.pdf . live .
  5. Web site: Gibbens . Sarah . 2023-03-16 . A giant, rotting mass of seaweed threatens beach season in the U.S. . 2023-03-18 . . en . March 18, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230318091222/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/seaweed-blob-great-atlantic-sargassum-belt-beach-threat . dead .
  6. Web site: Yong . Ed . 2019-07-04 . Why Waves of Seaweed Have Been Smothering Caribbean Beaches . 2023-03-18 . . en . March 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316161559/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/great-atlantic-sargassum-belt-here-stay/593290/ . live .
  7. News: Marchante . Michelle . March 17, 2023 . Miami Beach and the Keys could get loads of seaweed. It's smelly and can cause these symptoms . .
  8. Web site: Coto . Dánica . 2022-08-03 . Record amount of seaweed is choking shores in the Caribbean . 2023-03-19 . . en . December 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221210094539/https://apnews.com/article/travel-health-caribbean-6efc338cdfed7282300ea0d752b6d9fb . live .
  9. News: Luscombe . Richard . 2023-06-03 . Clumps of 5,000-mile seaweed blob bring flesh-eating bacteria to Florida . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-06-05 . 0261-3077.
  10. Web site: Thomson . Jess . 2023-05-30 . Seaweed full of flesh-eating bacteria hitting Florida . 2023-06-05 . Newsweek . en.
  11. Schell . Jeffrey . Goodwin . Deborah . Siuda . Amy . 2015-09-01 . Recent Sargassum Inundation Events in the Caribbean: Shipboard Observations Reveal Dominance of a Previously Rare Form . Oceanography . 28 . 3 . 8–10 . 10.5670/oceanog.2015.70 . 1042-8275 . free .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.