Record May Sargassum Covers 4% of Ocean, Fouling South Florida Beaches

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 13

South Florida beaches are seeing heavy new washups after sargassum hit a record level for May, with thick shoreline piles disrupting swimming and beach access.
University of South Florida researchers estimate floating mats and clusters now cover at least 4% of the ocean's surface, and levels are expected to keep rising through June.
Decomposing seaweed releases hydrogen sulfide gas that smells like rotten eggs; Florida health officials say it can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and worsen problems for people with asthma.
Sargassum is a natural Atlantic habitat for turtles, crabs, shrimp and fish, but unusually large blooms have become a recurring regional problem since the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt expanded in 2011.
The National Ocean Service says shifting wind patterns helped establish a new open-ocean sargassum population, underpinning the broader surge now hitting Florida's coast.