Researchers at the University of South Florida, in collaboration with scientists at NASA, say mixed results from observations of a large mat of sargassum seaweed are providing a “glimmer of hope” for coastlines across the region for 2023.
In their February forecast, which was released earlier this month, USF noted a 2.6-million-ton decrease in the seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean – for the first time since ‘the modern era’, which began in 2019.
“[T]he decrease in Sargassum quantity from January to February is uncommon, and presents a glimmer of hope that the overall 2023 bloom may not be as large as previously feared although 2023 will still be a major Sargassum year,” noted USF. “Nevertheless, the large quantities already in the [Caribbean Sea] (and to the east) will continue to accumulate and migrate westward, creating beaching hazards along the way.”
The decrease came on the heels of another record-breaking January during which researchers noted a historic bloom for the second consecutive year, with this January’s levels more than 30% higher than the previous record, which was set five years ago.
“The overall Sargassum quantity in the Atlantic Ocean doubled from December to January (8.7 million tons), again setting a new record (previous January record was 6.5 million tons in 2018),” wrote researchers, who added that in “the Caribbean Sea… most patches of sargassum were south of Jamaica”.
Their initial report predicted that the surface-level seaweed would eventually accumulate and migrate westward over the next several months.
Since then, coastlines across the Cayman Islands, and the wider Central Caribbean and Latin America, have seen their first round of beaching of the seaweed – in line with the predictions.
In Cayman, for more than a decade, a three-man team has been tasked with fending off the seemingly never-ending onslaught of sargassum. A lack of resources, coupled with strict restrictions on which beaches and parts of beaches can be cleaned, is making the job even more difficult.
For wider coverage of sargassum in Cayman click here.
Related Videos
