March 6, 2023. This spring, large blobs of a Sargassum, a kind of algae, have been washing ashore in southeast Florida. Yes. Fishermen Struggle with Sargassum Accumulation and Bad Weather during Sargassum season in Punta Cana. Puerto Rico qualified a women's team (of 18 athletes) by virtue of its campaign in the 2022 Pan American Championships. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Europe and North America had the largest bloom areas. Sargassum, a smelly seaweed, may be coming soon to a Gulf beach near you. Sargassum comes from the Sargasso Sea which is defined by ocean currents rather than land boundaries. 1300 Cruz Bay Creek While the 2023 sargassum bloom isn't as large as originally . Sargassum, a type of seaweed, covers the bottom of the sea, making it difficult for fish to spot the bait on fishing lines. Since 2011, the sargassum has reached epic proportions each summer, fluctuating from year to year and place to place. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? This was Puerto Rico 's 19th appearance at the Pan American Games, having competed at every Games since the inaugural edition in 1951. It is located in the southwest of the country, near the town of Pedernales, almost on the border with Haiti. Sargassum is a brown seaweed that floats in . 2023 Sargassum - Puerto Rico - Vieques - Bahia de la Chiva Although it is annoying for tourists, it is also the main reason that when we snorkel in places like Punta Cana or Saona Island we can see such abundant and beautiful marine fauna. The Dominican Republic is the ideal destination if you are looking for dream beaches and a tropical climate to enjoy them. The turquoise and crystalline waters of Bayahibe are not usually affected by sargassum since they are protected by the peninsula of the Cotubanam National Park and Saona Island. In March, the University's researchers said it's likely this year's sargassum bloom will be the largest ever recorded, with major impacts in the months ahead. Florida and other regions of the Caribbean are used to influxes of Sargassum in the spring and summer, but the invasion appears to be getting worse on average, year over year. Headquarters/Visitor Center phone contact Information. Caribbean beaches are struggling with record amounts of seaweed - USA TODAY Read full story:Smelly seaweed bloom heads to Florida. Entrepreneurs are also trying to turn Sargassum into useful products, such as bricks, fertilizers, and food additives. BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - We're already in the weeds. 8.7 million tons of seaweed headed to Florida waters this summer. If one day the beach dawns with sargassum, the day is not lost. ST Great superiority the loser without technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points. The number one thing most likely to ruin your next Caribbean escape is sargassum. He has linked the surge in sargassum to flow from the Mississippi River, extreme flooding in the Amazon basin, and themouth of the Congo, where upwelling and vertical mixing of the ocean can bring up nutrients that feed the blooms. The Sargassum is full of life and home to Sargassum shrimp, Planehead filefish, crabs, turtles and seahorses. Sargassum Seaweed found on beaches is a naturally occurring event that happens along the Gulf Stream and throughout the Caribbean. Google Pay. (Photo by Jesse Daley) An inundation of sargassum seaweed is crossing the Atlantic from the east to the west, and the U.S. Virgin Islands may be in the path of this unwelcome visitor. What's causing it? Under Air Quality Alerts From Canadian Wildfire Smoke, Trump Is Reportedly Mulling A Return To Twitter After Truth Social Exclusivity Deal Expires, A 5,000-mile-long mass of seaweed is coming to shore. Hate seaweed? Thats not quite right. Sorry, Florida. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico also had high to medium amounts around their . But theres a flip side: Sargassum is an essential component of marine ecosystems in the open ocean, and it may even help fight climate change. Sargassum Seaweed Update? - San Juan Forum - Tripadvisor Status: May 30-Jun 5, 2023 Since 2011, large accumulations of Sargassum is a recurrent problem in the Caribbean Sea, in the Gulf of Mexico and tropical Atlantic. However, there are always natural conditions that we cannot foresee, be it a storm, rain or, as we want you to see in this article, algae that spoil the experience on your vacation a bit. ESA - Sargassum extent in the Caribbean Sea - European Space Agency Check out the map of the year 2023. Puerto Rico qualified a team of ten gymnasts in artistic (five men and five women) at the 2023 Pan American Championships. All that stringy stuff that washed up on Brevard County beaches this past week is just the beginning of what scientists predict will grow into the. Heres what will happen (PBS), Escambia, Santa Rosa ready for 5,000-mile-wide sargassum blob moving toward Florida (Pensacola News Journal), A 5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida (Associated Press), This is a BETA experience. And its not like the whole thing is about to ram into Florida. Headquarters/Visitor Center phone contact Information. 00830. How is the situation with sargassum in areas around San Juan, Condado, Luquillo and Combate (beaches we have planned)? You must bear in mind that the hotels and the Dominican government have worked hard so that this phenomenon . Problems like these are real, and likely to get worse if the belt keeps growing. In the Caribbean, most sargassum was located around the Lesser Antilles and along the southern coasts ofHispanola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and along the Mexican Caribbean coast. Sargassum - San Juan Forum - Tripadvisor Puerto Rico qualified a full team of six athletes (three men and three women) through the 2023 Caribbean Championships. Please enter a valid email and try again. Carbon sequestration can be a positive outlook of this phenomena, authors of a 2021 study said of the growing abundance of Sargassum in the Atlantic. Sargassum. Sargassum is a type of marine macroalgae that is very important in the ecosystem of tropical and subtropical seas and oceans. 16 2023, Published 1:22 p.m. Not all algal blooms are bad. Puerto Rico is scheduled to compete at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile from October 20 to November 5, 2023. Today we want to explain what sargassum is, because there is so much in the waters of the Caribbean, what is the sargassum season in Punta Cana and show you some alternative beaches in case you are not a good friend of these floating plants. In large amounts, hydrogen sulfide gas can also irritate the eyes and throat, although this is mostly a concern in enclosed spaces. Climate change can affect ocean circulation and the movement of nutrients that feed phytoplankton blooms. It's difficult to predict exact timing and location for arrival at individual beaches, the University said, although efforts are underway to improve computer models that could be used for such forecasts. "If it all stays offshore, we wouldn't really have a problem," Barnes said. [6], Puerto Rico qualified a team of three men and three women. A record abundance of the seaweed was seen on satellite images in the Caribbean in April, the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab said in a monthly update released this week. In addition, its presence in the water causes us not to enjoy those turquoise blue tones that we see in the photos of the beaches of the Dominican Republic. The monstrous seaweed bloom is just one more example of a growing global invasion of macro and microscopic algal blooms thriving on an increasing supply ofnutrients such as nitrogen in freshwater and marine ecosystems. It's a stinky ecological wonder. You might also be interested in these articles, Hidden treasures of the Dominican Republic. He said deforestation and burning also may contribute. We raise local sargassum issues to the global audience. A 2021 study published in Clinical Toxicology linked a 2018 sargassum stranding in the Caribbean to neurological, digestive and respiratory disorders, stemming from exposure to hydrogen sulfide released while the algae rots on the beach. Puerto Rico qualified 8 athletes (four men and four women) during the Pan American Games Qualification Tournament. Turtles, fish, shellfish and a large number of marine species feed on this plankton which allows them to follow the life cycle that maintains a sustainable ecosystem. [13], Puerto Rico qualified a total of 14 shooters in the 2022 Americas Shooting Championships.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Apr 28, 2023, 6:31 PM Save I've read that the sargassum bloom this year is big. Sargassum Hits the Puerto Rico Coasts, Department of Nature and Environment Lacks Mitigation Plan A law that went into effect in early 2023 requires the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to prepare a mitigation plan to handle extreme accumulations of sargassum. Thats not to say we should all be celebrating Sargassum. a 5,000-mile swath of sargassum drifts westward, Subscribe to the weekly Climate Point newsletter, Latest climate change news from USA TODAY, The algal blooms are linked to human activities, the starving deaths of hundreds of manatees, a group of international researchers in a coastal phytoplankton studypublished this month in the journal Nature, Huge seaweed blob on way to Florida is 'like a Stephen King movie'. You may opt-out by. You can also contribute via. Sargassum Monitoring on Twitter: "27/06/2023 #PortoRico #PuertoRico # 1 year ago Save I would love to know about the sargassum situation as it ruined our Cancun/Tulum trip the last two times. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. Sargassum is the linchpin of this open-ocean ecosystem. The Supreme Court just struck down Bidens student loan forgiveness plan. This page was last edited on 30 June 2023, at 16:59. FOR SUBSCRIBERS:Saving endangered right whales pits advocates against lobstermen, GREEN ENERGY:Growing group of mayors at odds with experts over whale deaths and offshore windmills. Puerto Rico faces sargassum invasion without a plan to address it The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources has failed to prepare the document required by law. Waves filled with sargassum continue washing up on beaches in the Caribbean Sea and southern Florida and the stacks of seaweed are expected to get worse in the weeks ahead. An Inundation of Sargassum Seaweed is Moving - St. Thomas Source Florida Add Topic Piles of smelly seaweed are arriving on Florida beaches: How bad will it get? Sargassum can occasionally be a problem, especially on the east coast. A giant patch of seaweed is growing to record sizes in the Atlantic. The Sargassum aggregations in the Central Atlantic have continued to move westward with prevailing currents and winds. A combination of these forces likely triggered the 2011 boom, and they continue to cause algae to balloon. ET Source: Teresa Wood/Coral.Org Along with floods, and earthquakes, sargassum seaweed is yet another natural phenomenon that's making headlines this year, after building up on Atlantic and Caribbean beaches. Researchers believe it advanced so far due to strong winds that shifted southward more dramatically and persistently than any other point over the past 100 years, before getting caught in several currents, stretching it from West Africa to the Caribbean. Officials in Florida are preparing for a 5,000-mile floating island of seaweed called the sargassum belt to make its way on shore, where its expected to become both a nuisance and a health hazard as it rots. Torch Talk 2023 Sargasses - Mexique - Playa del Carmen - Mahekal If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Storms in the Atlantic can also disrupt its path, bringing swaths of the algae up the East Coast on the Gulf Stream, making it as far as New England, where Maria Mitchell Association Aquarium Director Jack Dubinsky said it carries tropical fish that wouldnt typically come into colder waters. Should we cancel? Definitions explained. The palm trees going into the sea, the turquoise waters, the tropical climate. After another stranding last summer, officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands declared a state of emergency. 340 776-6201 Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. In addition to the unsightly piles of sargassum along the coast, some species produce toxins that affect the food chain or deplete the oxygen in the water when they start to decay, causing fish kills and the die-off of other marine species. And we cant do that if we have a paywall. All this seaweed can be a problem for tourism, fishing, and other coastal industries, especially on Caribbean islands like Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands could get hit hard, Barnes said. So much so, that in the Atlantic area that is just in front of the Florida peninsula, in the United States, there is a sea called Sargasso, in which the absence of currents and wind causes these algae to accumulate forming islands that they even endanger navigation. 2023 is shaping up to be a banner year for sargassum, a type of brown macroalgae now starting to wash up on beaches across the Caribbean. The currents there circulate in a slow, clockwise loop called a gyre around the Sargasso Sea, where surface water and floating objects tend to converge and become "stuck". VI The Sargassum is full of life and home to Sargassum shrimp, Planehead filefish, crabs, turtles and seahorses. A giant seaweed blob is washing up on Florida shores. What is sargassum Edited: 1 year ago Report inappropriate content PR_Bob Cleveland, Ohio Destination Expert for Puerto Rico, Carolina Level Contributor 10,569 posts Bloom frequency increased globally at a rate of nearly 60%. Details. A bulldozer removes sargassum from a beach in Mexico. Although not so well known, many consider this beach one of the most beautiful in the entire Dominican Republic due to its crystal clear waters. Its important that we have several ways we make money, just like its important for you to have a diversified retirement portfolio to weather the ups and downs of the stock market. Magens Bay, covered in sargassum seaweed in December 2022. In the last six years, the amount of seaweed in the belt doubled compared to the previous six years, according to the University of South Florida, which tracks the blooms. Any amount helps. Like kelp and other seaweeds, Sargassum sucks up carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, as it grows. Last year, there was so much of the seaweed in the US Virgin Islands that the territorys governor declared a state of emergency after Sargassum clogged a desalinization plant on St. Croix. February 1, 2023, University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab The latest findings from the University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab, in collaboration with NASA, reveal alarming trends in the growth of Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Algal-bloom-favorable seasons in temperate seas have increased with warmer temperatures. Optical Oceanography Laboratory College of Marine Science Officials in Florida are preparing for the sargassum belt to wash ashore on Floridas Atlantic and Gulf coasts this summer, where it will decompose, creating a stench as it releases hydrogen sulfide into the air. That convergence is why, up until 2011, Sargassum was found only in small, scattered patches outside of . The thick dead tangled heaps of seaweed stink like rotten . First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. [12], Puerto Rico has qualified 3 boats for a total of 4 sailors. Sargassum seaweed soils Space Coast beaches at record levels - ClickOrlando Sargassum drifts westward in the Atlantic with prevailing winds and currents, floating in the water into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The belt is already beginning to wash upin the Florida Keys and Barbados and elsewhere in the region, but researchers don't know where the bulk of it could wind up. Sargassum? - Isla de Vieques Forum - Tripadvisor Ajit Subramaniam, an oceanographer at Columbia University, told PBS the belt acts as an upside down coral reef for ocean lifeproviding shelter and creating a hotspot for biological diversityand can serve an ecological benefit to fish, turtles and birds that rely on it as food and offshore habitat, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, though the piles of rotting sargassum that eventually make it on shore have also proven to be a potential health hazard for humans. The creeping threat of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt "Weve seen something pretty similar ina lot of the things we study," Barnes said. An estimated 3 million tons was seen in the Caribbean in April, with buildups along the southern coasts of Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, the University said. Sargazo - Puerto Rico - Vieques - Bahia de la Chiva 12/03/2023 - @Larry Mowbray Here are the official maps & mews about sargassum seaweed invasion updated 7. Grid: PUERTO RICO (PR) Start Radar Your Location Satellite Coordinates Legend Sargassum Concentration USF OOL Long Term Outlook LAST UPDATE: MAY 31, 2023 Sargassum seaweed washing up in Florida, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico [5], Puerto Rico qualified a men's team (of 4 athletes) by winning the 2021 Junior Pan American Games. According to data from the University of South Florida, the amount of sargassum in the Atlantic last month was the second most ever recorded in the month of February. Florida is known for many things: amusement parks, warm weather, anti-LGBTQ politics, retirees, manatees. When is the best time to travel to Punta Cana? And at least some of that carbon is stored for long periods, meaning it doesnt decay and send carbon back into the atmosphere. The scale was so massive that even satellite images could see it. To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. Here you will find the best options to do when we encounter sargassum. Check beach webcams for sargassum. [9], Puerto Rico qualified one male athlete at the 2023 Pan American Championships. Qualification Legend: Q = Qualified to apparatus final. Re: Sargassum? This story is part of a group of stories called, The Air Quality Index and how to use it, explained, Affirmative action for white college applicants is still here, Neil Gorsuch has a problem with telling the truth, The Supreme Courts lawless, completely partisan student loans decision, explained. FOR SUBSCRIBERS:Huge seaweed blob on way to Florida is 'like a Stephen King movie'. Little Bay Beach is typically in pristine condition year-round. In case sargassum is your main concern (although there are many more activities to enjoy in Punta Cana), we have prepared for you a list of beaches that are not usually affected by this phenomenon. As you can see, you don't have to worry so much about this phenomenon. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is not one big blob; its a vast stretch of ocean spotted with clumps of algae. Punta Bonita Beach is also totally surrounded by the best tourist facilities in the town of Las Terrenas, so it is a perfect destination for the Dominican Republic. Global climate events, such as El Nino, also showconnections to bloom frequency and movement. The coastal phytoplankton study, by researchers at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Chinaand elsewhere, used images from NASAs Aqua satellite. Sargassum is a nuisance when it washes ashore, and it can smother coral reefs and harm other coastal ecosystems. It is a phenomenon humans help fuel and on which many marine creatures rely. Sargassum, although in recent years it has become detached from patterns and can affect at any time of the year, it occurs mainly in the following months: September, October, November, December and January. We are sure that whatever it is, you will enjoy your vacation in the Dominican Republic! PDF Outlook of 2023 Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Hurricanes in Punta Cana, should they be feared? Mayors address the. Is climate change the same thing as global warming? SP Technical superiority the loser with technical points and a margin of victory of at least 9 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points. Christopher Columbus wrote about floating mats of it in the Atlantic Ocean. Although sargassum can be a good thing in the open ocean, providing habitat for fish, turtles and many other creatures, there can be too much of a good thing. Puerto Rico qualified a women's team (of 14 athletes) by reaching the final of the 2022 Central American and Caribbean Games. [25][26], Puerto Rico qualified nine wrestlers (eight men and one woman) through the 2022 Pan American Wrestling Championships and the 2023 Pan American Wrestling Championships.[27]. "It's not a bad thing to have the sargassum in the ocean," said Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Sea turtle hatchlings swim from Florida beaches to the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic, where they spend their early lives floating and foraging in the grass. Sargassum Monitoring , Surveillance Sargasses How does climate change affect you? It makes it almost impossible to fish," Friedman said. But the floating matsalso wind up on beaches in Jamaica and all around the coast of Florida. 2019. What to take in your suitcase to Punta Cana? 8. Its home to a number of species found only in Sargassum ecosystems, such as the Sargassum shrimp and Sargassum frogfish (which both look a whole lot like algae). Sargassum - Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. National Park Service) / Credit: CBS News What is. Lakes Beach was covered in sargassum last year along the east coast of Barbados. newsletter. By Benji Jones @BenjiSJones May 11, 2023, 7:00am EDT Dark patches of. The sargassum, a naturally occurring type of macroalgae, spans more than 5,000 miles. "We can get an idea of when it will be fairly close," he said. Puerto Rico qualified two archers during the 2022 Pan American Archery Championships. The belt stretches across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula and is as much as 200 to 300 miles wide. Thats why, even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. Florida and Caribbean face a record-size patch of Atlantic seaweed - Vox 2023. The geostrophic surface currents dictate how the Sargassum travels towards Florida and beyond. We believe thats an important part of building a more equal society. Puerto Rico faces sargassum invasion without a plan to address it We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead. Some researchers also suspect that rising ocean temperatures, as well as changes in wind patterns, may be behind the recent blooms. While the macroalgae can pile up in large quantities along beaches, when it's floating along the 5,000 mile sargassum belt, the density varies but is considered "rather low," researchers said. Don't worry, a seaweed can't ruin your vacation. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Experimental Weekly Sargassum Inundation Risk (SIR v1.3) Its this growing belt that inundates beaches in Florida and the Caribbean with seaweed. This map shows an overview of the floating Sargassum as of 5 April and shows the daily mean Sargassum concentration over the last seven days (starting from 5 April 2023). Support our mission by making a gift today. Sorry, Florida. Sargazo - Puerto Rico - Humacao - Palmas del Mar 2023 - @Hilton Rivera//Official maps \u0026 news about sargassum seaweed invasion updated 7/7: https://sargassummonitoring.com/Facebook group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/sargassummonitoringTwitter: https://twitter.com/SargaMonitoringInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sargassum_monitoring/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sargassum-monitoring/Tic Toc : https://www.tiktok.com/@sargassummonitoring?lang=fr----------------------------------------------------------#sargasses #sargassum #sargazo The Sargassum Seaweed is drawn out of the Sargasso Sea by Coriolis Effects. The Sargassum product comes from Coastal Marine Information and Analysis System (SIMAR) which uses data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Typically the blooms peak in June or July. washing up on beaches in the Caribbean Sea and southern Florida, University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab, told the Daytona Beach News-Journal in late April, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Sargassum Seaweed is a Natural Event. It is, perhaps, the perfect excuse to get to know the country away from the typical beach days and go sightseeing in the Dominican Republic. [24], Puerto Rico qualified six weightlifters (three per gender). Frightening media reports refer to a giant blob of seaweed barreling toward Florida. Mar. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Sargassum Seaweed found on beaches is a naturally occurring event that happens along the Gulf Stream and throughout the Caribbean. Is it climate change?. It then travels on the Gulf Stream throughout the Atlantic Ocean and is deposited on beaches along the way. Beaches on Barbados were smothered in sargassum last summer. 1. Yet this region boasts a tremendous diversity of life, from young fish and crabs to turtles and seabirds, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Caribbean islands, like Turks and Caicos, Trinidad and Tobago, and Hispaniola are the places that tend to get inundated, he said, and this can cause serious issues. In April, concentrations of sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico, where the mats float with the loop current, were comparable to those seen in April during other major bloom years. 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sargassum in puerto rico 2023