Giant blobs along 5,000-mile-wide sargassum belt has killed animals, harmed human health and discouraged tourismScientists in Florida believe they have identified a “tipping point” in atmospheric conditions in the Atlantic Ocean they say caused giant clumps of toxic seaweed to inundate beaches around the Caribbean in recent summers.Previous theories for the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt that has killed marine animals, harmed human health and plagued the tourism industry in several countries include a surfeit of nutrients in the water, such as nitrogen and phosphorus in runoff from intensive farming and carried into the ocean in the Congo, Amazon and Mississippi rivers. Continue reading...
Florida scientists identified a 2009 "tipping point" in Atlantic atmospheric conditions that altered wind patterns, pushing more sargassum into tropical waters. This, combined with nutrient-rich vertical mixing, fueled massive seaweed blooms impacting Caribbean and US Gulf coast beaches. Decomposing sargassum mixed with plastic debris also creates a breeding ground for flesh-eating Vibrio bacteria, posing a health risk.
