SARGASSUM. From problem to opportunity.

¿What is Sargassum?
Sargassum is large seaweed (algae). It’s about aquatic plants floating from the Sargassum genus that are mostly found in tropical areas and, mainly in the Caribbean beaches. It grows fastly, duplicating its volume in less than 18 days in ideal conditions.

¿Why is there so much Sargassum?
The Ocean Atlantic Current is made of warmer water that flows towards the north of the Earth after receiving heat in the tropics and in the Equator (orange line to the right), and of colder water that flows to the south of the Earth once it has been cooled down in the North Pole (blue line to the right).

Glaciers are melting because of Climate Change, as well as artic ice. The water resulting from the melting ends in the ocean due to rivers.

 

Evidence shows that a change in the salinity balance is causing the warm water to move slower towards the north, reaching higher temperatures and «parking» in the Gulf sub-current, directly in contact with the Caribbean.

While «parked», that water doesn’t only get warmer but also receives more nutrients that flow into the Atlantic ocean as run off from the Amazon (Brazil) and Mississippi (United States) rivers, where they circulate more than usual, causing what can be called perfect conditoins for Sargassum to continue growing exponencially!

Sargassum arriving to the shores is not a problem, the large and growing quantities are!

It has become a serious ecological and socio-economic problem for countries in the Caribbean like Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Barbados, as well as many country islands like Bonaire and San Andrés Isla.

Will it ever stop arriving?

What would need to happen for warm water to recover its original speed while going northwards?
Recover the salinity balance of the ocean.

How could that balance be recovered?
Stopping the glaciers and artic ice melting.

How could this melting be stopped?
Stopping Climate Change.

How could we stop Climate Change?
– Stop emitting greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere
– Having 3/4 of World’s population stop eating animal products
– Reforesting 2/3 parts of the plant, and
– Not cutting down even one single tree more.

This means that, while we make a global agreement by all the people in the planet to act accordingly,

Will Sargassum continue arriving and in larger quantities every year?

Unfortunately, YES.

It brings larger problems

  • It stinks
  • Prevents water oxygenation
  • Changes the color of the water from turquoise to brownish
  • Emits gasses when decomposing in the beach
  • It tangles in our legs
  • It scares tourism and affects country and state economy significatly
  • It affects seagrass and sea meadows, causing erosion
  • The death of fish and proliferation of bacteria (due to large quantities of sargassum arriving to the shores, phosphorus is now 1000 times fold resulting in more algae than coral reefs, and in brown tide – brownish water – reducing the oxygen level in the water)

    • But… it also has great benefits!

  • It has a great ability to develop and grow in tropical condictions, providing it with extraordinary vitality, energy and structural strength
  • Very large photosynthesis capacity and efficiency
  • Amazing speed to process toxical components
  • High production and storage of components, simulating the fast reproduction of its different growing points