Beaches choked with stinky seaweed could be the new normal
AFP via AsiaOne
August 7,2019
MIAMI BEACH, United States - Slimy, stinky brown seaweed that ruins beachgoers' vacations from Mexico to Florida may be the new normal unless Brazil halts Amazon deforestation, experts say.
...One problem is global warming - the hotter the ocean, the more these weeds reproduce, said Steve Leatherman, an environmental expert at Florida International University. But the bigger problem is the Amazon river, he added. Scientists say that starting around 2011, much more land along that mighty waterway was cleared for farming. But it yields a poor, muddy red soil so farmers use a lot of fertiliser, which rains wash into the river, where it flows into the Atlantic. And the fertiliser ends up fertilising the sargassum.
...In the British Virgin Islands, the layer of seaweed is 2m thick. Punta Cana, a beach in the Dominican Republic that is famous for its clear water, has turned brown. Barbados recently declared a national emergency. Mexico has called in the navy to restore the beauty of tourist hub Cancun.
A critical question is whether we have reached the point where ...beaching events may become the new norm," wrote Chuanmin Hu, the lead author of the study and a professor of optical oceanography. "Under continued nutrient enrichment due to deforestation and fertiliser use in agriculture," Hu wrote, "the answer is likely positive."
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