Satellites in Space Spot Largest Seaweed Bloom on Earth (2024)

FAQs

Satellites in Space Spot Largest Seaweed Bloom on Earth? ›

The brown algae

Giant bladder kelp (M. pyrifera) is the largest alga species, measuring up to 65 metres (215 feet) long, and is thought to have the fastest linear growth rate of any organism on Earth.

Much of that was converted for agricultural uses, which means more fertilizer and other nutrients. "The Amazon River, which is the largest river in the world, is now bringing all these nutrients, phosphates and nitrates to the coast, which feeds the sargassum which is right offshore. And it blooms.

The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt stretches 5,000 miles from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.

Dried seaweed is very good for health, but not so that we use this food excessively. To minimize the possible side effects when using dried seaweed, you should use about 100 grams of seaweed per day.

Some marine algae contain acids that irritate the digestion canal, while others can have a laxative and electrolyte-balancing effect. Most marine macroalgae are nontoxic in normal quantities, but members of the genus Lyngbya are potentially lethal.

Sargassum is a group of brown algae that provides food, refuge, and breeding ground for many marine animals, such as turtles, crabs, shrimp, fish, and seabirds.

Avoid recreating in waters that contain excessive Sargassum. Some of the organisms it harbors may irritate your skin. Stay away from areas where Sargassum is decomposing.

Disposal of Sargassum

The disposal of massive amounts of Sargassum that accumulates on beaches presents several challenges. Once Sargassum washes ashore, hoteliers and local governments usually remove it and pile it away out of sight from tourists or dispose of it in landfills.

Sargassum seaweed can be used in a variety of ways, such as in fertilizer, animal feed, or as a renewable energy source.

Will the sargassum hit Florida? ›

Where will sargassum hit in Florida? It's possible for sargassum to wash up on any beach in Florida, but there are some beaches where it's rare or underwhelming, and some where huge masses of the seaweed are expected every summer.

The latest sargassum outlook, issued for March 2023, pegged late May as the timeframe when the southeast coast of Florida, which includes the Florida Keys, will start seeing seaweed appearing in larger quantities. Here's what to know about sargassum heading toward Florida this summer.

The reef, which is large enough to be visible from space, is made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs. Much of the Great Barrier Reef is a marine protected area, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority of Australia.

In the fall of 2023, they discovered a large water blob in the Atlantic, which they named “Atlantic Equatorial Water.” Their detailed study was published in Geophysical Research Letters in a paper titled “Is There an Equatorial Water Mass in the Atlantic Ocean?”

“Sargassum abundance in the interior central Atlantic increased, but it increased so substantially that the abundance reached a new record from all previous December months,” the USF sargassum experts published online. “This indicates that 2024 will be another major Sargassum year.”

The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, a 5,000-mile-long belt of seaweed weighing more than 11 million tons, is threatening to wreak havoc in the coastal waters and beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. It's so big that it can be seen from space, spanning the tropical Atlantic from West Africa to the Caribbean.

There are a number of different theories for the rise in the seaweed in Mexico over the last few years. These include changing climate and wind patterns; nutrient-rich waters; and less hurricane activity, meaning the shredding of the seaweed by storms is reduced.

Kombu kelp in particular, possesses a flavor and nutritional value unlike any other seaweed, earning it the title – "the king of seaweeds."