Communiqu de Presse tlchargeable (format PDF) en Franais. getting to the bahamas from florida by ferry? Monroe County also knows it must get ahead of the increasing sargassum beachings or risk both our fragile island ecosystems and our summer tourism industry. But for the communities that often find themselves digging out from a mountain of sargassum, the whole situation stinks. Don't buy the story about lack of crime on Harbour Island Aug 10, 2022. * Do not embed this map in a website or a blog without permission from Sargassum Monitoring. AP Near-record amounts of seaweed are smothering Caribbean coasts from Puerto. Apparently, bad weather is hampering attempts. Directly downstream are the beaches of Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. There are times if the year where risk is higher but it can absolutely can show up anytime, anywhere. Sargassum, the brown tide that is invading the Caribbean The phenomenon has broken records this year and has become one of the great environmental concerns of the coastal areas of the region Tourists swim at Xcalacoco beach next to sargassum in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. It all began in the summer of 2011, when sargassum started to accumulate on the beaches of many destinations with crystal clear waters and white sands. Sargassum at Yabucoa beach, in Puerto Rico, last august. * Do not embed this map in a website or a blog without permission from Sargassum Monitoring. Some ecological good news, courtesy of some hungry shelled swimmers. Dcouverte surprenante dans les sargasses au Mexique ! Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. Since the problem was pointed out by environmentalists and hotel owners, governments have sought ways to clean their affected beaches in order to recover tourism. "This is the worst we've ever seen it for sure," said Melody Rouveure, general manager for a tour company in the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten, which shares an island with St. Martin. Dominican Republic : Punta Cana SEAWEED Problem (2022): Everything You Need To Know!! We are looking into rescheduling later this summer but Ive been reading about how bad the sargassum is this year throughout much of the Caribbean. Its easy to spy on sargassum with satellites because the seaweed contains chlorophyll, a green pigment that reflects infrared light much more markedly than seawater does. Sargassum seaweed season lasts around 6 months in Mexico. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. The plant I was likely swimming frantically away from was a large brown alga called Sargassum. Seaweed covers the Atlantic shore in Frigate Bay, St. Kitts and Nevis, on Wednesday. Water taxi hours Nov 08, 2022. But it is bad for tourism, the economy and the environment when too much accumulates just offshore or on beaches. Seaweed covers the Atlantic shore in Frigate Bay, St. Kitts and Nevis, on Wednesday. Is it accurate to say that the conch season is now closed? Heck, even Christopher Columbus wrote about seeing it floating in the Atlantics Sargasso Sea (hence, the name). Several product suites have been created as a . Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Technically, the Bahamas is not in the Caribbean, so we don't get the same levels of seaweed as in some other areas. Far from being an isolated phenomenon, the problem is impacting a large part of the Caribbean. It damages boat engines and fishing gear, prevents fishermen from reaching their boats and fishing areas and leads to a drop in the number of fish caught. We are well past the who or what is to blame stage. Heres what Florida sargassum expert Brian Lapointe told the Sun-Sentinel on Aug. 5, 2022: Its just too much of a good thing. Summer 2022 sargassum blew past previous records for June; July dropped a tad and August is pending, but the University of South Florida, which tracks sargassum, says there's so much sargassum floating in the open waters right now that we can expect what they call "beaching" for at least a couple more months. More than six centuries ago, the first European expeditions that crossed the Atlantic to reach the American continent sighted a phenomenon known as sargassum. Ricardo Mazalan/AP My husband and I had planned a trip to the Caribbean for our 15th anniversary last year but obviously had to cancel it. */, Travelinglifestyle.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Copyright 2022 Traveling Lifestyle Network, LLC. Although sargassum serves as a healthy ecosystem for marine species in the Sargasso Sea, its emigration towards the Caribbeandue to rising ocean temperatures and changes in . As predicted, small amount was observed in the CS and minimal amount was observed in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), but moderate to large amounts of Sargassum were . http://sargassummonitoring.com/ Follow the brown seaweeds invasion, check the older maps : Our maps are unique and famous because : Even if taxpayers were to agree to fund massive, multi-times-per-day clean ups that trucked away sargassum on the sand, wed not make a dent in whats waiting in the water to wash ashore. On Union Island, which is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the seaweed invasion has forced some resorts to close for up to five months in the past. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. MIAMI ( April 22, 2022 ) Sargassum season is in full effect in Miami-Dade County. MARTINIQUE : Les poissons dlevage sont bien morts cause des sargasses, BONAIRE: Sargassum Fertilizer Transfers Heavy Metals to Vegetables, MEXICO: Mexican Navy Admit Failure In Stopping Sargassum Deposits In Cancun, Mexico News : Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum Being Overrun By Seaweed, Mexico : Cancun Braces For Worst Sargassum Seaweed Season In Five Years, Guadeloupe : Guadeloupe : Les sargasses saccumulent, les nuisances olfactives et visuelles reviennent, Mexico Riviera Maya : ADVIERTEN OPACIDAD EN EL TEMA DE DISPOSICIN Y MANEJO DEL SARGAZO, Mexico Riviera Maya : El sargazo se adelanta y pega con ms intensidad, Mexico : Sin recursos ni personal suficiente para contener el sargazo; an desatendidas, enormes extensiones en las costas del Caribe mexicano. What transportation is available between the islands? Mexico : Norma Muoz: La gente no est informada de los efectos del sargazo, dice que las afectaciones las mand Dios, Mexico : EL SARGAZO NO SE CONVIERTE EN ARENA, France : Bilan du BRGM : les taux mesurs en arsenic et en chlorure de sodium dpassent les normes imposes, Sargassum is worsening the conditions of the poorest people in Ghana, Un mystre aux proportions ocaniques : des algues sargasses forment dsormais un pont vgtal entre lAmrique et lAfrique, Republica Dominicana : Sargazo llega hasta las costas de Saman afectando las aguas del mar, Mexico : Sargazo, amenaza para el turismo y la salud, Mexico: On Mexicos Caribbean coast, mountains of seaweed grow, Florida USA : Invasion of the seaweed. Its well past the worst season and Im on the Mexican Gulf coast at the moment. Sargassum is a brown macroalgae that has wreaked havoc on the Caribbean, decimating coastal ecosystems and threatening the tourism economy on which the region depends. mid-October is usually when the seaweed season finishes. This brown tide is not only impacting the Caribbean. All rights reserved. ", Lakes Beach is covered in sargassum in St. Andrew along the east coast of Barbados on July 27. We cannot say a dismissive there, there to folks raising concerns. And in the right amounts, sargassum is critical to the environment. For the past decade, Vince Ramgeet and his two Public Works Department field officers have been locked in a constant struggle to clear Grand Cayman's public boat ramps and their . - they report the arrivals of sargassum in the entire Caribbean and more. our team is independent. FRANCE : Le ministre dlgu au Outre-mer Jean-Franois Carenco a annonc la cration, au 15 octobre 2022, de quatre structures pour grer le sujet sargasse aux Antilles. Mexico was one of the first countries to report it, but this environmental problem, which is lethal to many species and also harmful to human health, concerns almost the entire Caribbean region. FRANCE : Le ministre dlgu au Outre-mer Jean-Franois Carenco a annonc la cration, au 15 octobre 2022, de quatre structures pour grer le sujet sargasse aux Antilles. Cette dcision concerne Saint-Barthlmy, Saint-Martin, la Guadeloupe et la Martinique. In 2023, the estimation is not clear as its not possible to see it on the ocean from satellites yet. The arrival of sargassum in the Caribbean can be an opportunity for various industries, and in recent years different initiatives have promoted its use as a raw material. The Keys struggle under the load of hundreds of thousands of visitors, vehicles and vacations. they report the arrivals of sargassum in the entire Caribbean and more. 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. Now, in the last decade, sargassum has been invading the Caribbean coasts, destroying its ecosystem and becoming a threat to the tourism sector. October Travels Jun 18, 2022. According to Reportur , the amount of sargassum floating in the Central Atlantic Ocean in November 2022 increased to an astounding 6 million tons by December 2022. Locals already know to forego our beaches most summer days. "In the tropical Atlantic, everything was right," Hu said. Mexican Caribbean has seen an increase in Sargassum seaweed in the past few days. A photo or video to share? Linda Grist Cunningham is editor and proprietor of Key West Island News and KeyWestWatch Media LLC. Since 2011, the seaweed has made a mess across the tropical Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and east coast of Florida. The situation in the country, as described by the official: in Isla Mujeres, there is zero sargassum; in the municipality of Benito Jurez, on the Chac Mool beach, yesterday 5 percent was detected; in Puerto Morelos, on Pelicanos Beach, 20 percent; in Playa San Martin in Cozumel, 20 percent; in the municipality of Solidaridad, El Recodo beach, 30 percent; in Playa Maya in Tulum it is where more arrivals of this algae have been reported, 40%; while in Othn P. Blanco, in El Mahahual, 15%.. From an ROI standpoint, it is important to weigh this impact against the estimated cost of mitigation, which we estimate to be between $3.4 million and $17.8 million. There is seaweed everywhere, that's just how things are unless you're staying at a resort where the house elves rake it all up for you while you're sleeping. The Queen wins, Six words to smooth over Key Wests minor irritations, Cuba and the Keys | Wrestling with frustration, failed politics and compassion. Be sure to look at the map, very, very interesting. Welcome to the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, the Seaweed Superhighway. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. Likely named by Portuguese sailors who thought it looked like grapes, Sargassum is an abundant type of seaweed found near the surface in warm waters of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Aug 23, 2022, 1:40 PM. He said hes received reports of Sargassum globs as thick as 5 feet in the Palm Beach Inlet that are preventing sea turtle hatchlings from getting to the beach. South Floridas beaches see record volume this summer, Sargassum, the brown tide that is invading the Caribbean. we always provide reliable information for tourists, travel agencies, journalists, scientists, academics, governments etc. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico A record amount of seaweed is smothering Caribbean coasts from Puerto Rico to Barbados as tons of brown algae kill wildlife, choke the tourism industry and release toxic gases. Punta Cana SEAWEED Problem (2022): Everything You Need To Know!! Save. Its too early to predict sargassum beachings in September. The lowest amounts of sargassum are frequently found on Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, and Othon P. Blanco, with the largest concentrations being found close to the well-known beaches of Solidaridad, Cozumel, and Tulum. Speaking to The Economist in 2015 about the smelly summits, Hilary Beckles, vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies, called sargassum the greatest single threat to the Caribbean economy I can imagine.. Key West insurance | Is wind, flood coverage worse than the storms? Since 2011, the sargassum piling up on Caribbean beaches has come from a massive algae bloom off Brazils coast. Dominican Republic : Punta Cana SEAWEED Problem (2022): Everything You Need To Know!! Save. Maintaining our beaches remains a priority for Miami-Dade County Parks, recreation and Open Spaces. Get answers to your questions about Bahamas. Brash, bold, and bigoted, he made for an uneasy national mascot. 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. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. You can find the full report HERE. The video and photo below are from Coco Beach in Playa del Carmen (January 28 morning). Some Key West folks seem to get a certain pleasure in cheering any reduction in visitors. Based on the last 20 years of data, Hu said in a statement, I can say that the belt is very likely to be a new normal.. (To satellites that detect infrared, Ed Yong wrote in The Atlantic, sargassum blazes like a bonfire.) Thats how the team computed that last year the belt contained more than 22 million tons of seaweed, sprawling from the Gulf of Mexico to Africas western edge. MTO FRANCE : 30/01/2023 Prvision dchouements dalgues sargasses, 28/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views, MTO FRANCE : 26/01/2023 Prvision dchouements dalgues sargasses, Mexico : 2023 un ao con mucho sargazo para el Caribe Mexicano, MTO FRANCE : 23/01/2023 Bulletin de prvision dchouements de sargasses plagiques, 21/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views, Mexico : Sol, mary sargazo: cmo la energa puede rescatar al paraso mexicano, MTO FRANCE Antilles Francaises : 16/01/2023 Bulletin de prvision dchouements de sargasses plagiques, 14/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views, ANTILLES FRANCAISES : 09/01/2023 BULLETIN DE PREVISION DECHOUEMENT DES SARGASSES PELAGIQUES, Mexico & Florida: Growth rates of pelagic Sargassum species in the Mexican Caribbean, 06/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views, ANTILLES FRANCAISES : 02/01/2023 BULLETIN DE PREVISION DECHOUEMENT DES SARGASSES PELAGIQUES, 01/01/2023 Sargassum seaweed Satellite views. Members who are knowledgeable about this destination and volunteer their time to answer travelers' questions. Attempts to use sargassum as fertilizer, food, biofuel, construction material or medicinal products continue, but many Caribbean islands are unable to remove the vast amounts of the seaweed because they are struggling financially and have limited resources. Id suggest this be a collaborative effort that includes every governmental, environmental, residential and business entity that calls the Keys home. The project would divert sargassum back into the channel and minimize the sargassum beachings. In 2022, Mexican federal officials expected the arrival of 32 thousand tons of sargassum seaweed in the country. Re: Sargassum Seaweed. Scientists say more research is needed to determine why sargassum levels in the region are reaching new highs, but the United Nations' Caribbean Environment Program says possible factors include a rise in water temperatures as a result of climate change and nitrogen-laden fertilizers and sewage waste fueling algae blooms. Sargassum Jul 28, 2022. Yucatn Towns Get Creative, In Hotter Climate, 'Zombie' Urchins Are Winning And Kelp Forests Are Losing, Masses Of Seaweed Threaten Fisheries And Foul Beaches, Heat Wave Killed An Estimated 1 Billion Sea Creatures, And Scientists Fear Even Worse. August 15, 2022. Share with us your recent photos and videos. One of these days, our visitors will, too. 2022, the overall Sargassum amount increased significantly across the tropical Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea (CS), the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), and the Central West Atlantic (CWA, i.e., the region east of the Lesser Antilles in the maps below), setting a new historical record for the month of April. I am having difficulty finding what the sargassum situation is in late September. 2021: Everything you need to know about Key West sargassum, 2022: Key West sargassum 2022: One of these days itll kill our summer beach time, Key West local | Are you one? When there are storms, we do get more seaweed than usual, but it's not exactly a "problem" like some other areas. For more than a decade, sargassum beachings have escalated and the record-setting past four years are raising alarms. A carpet of brown algae recently surrounded an uninhabited island near the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin that is popular with tourists, forcing officials to suspend ferry service and cancel kayaking and snorkeling tours. For years, various scientific studies have warned of how changes in the ocean currents due to the melting of the poles and glaciers, as well as the excessive ocean fertilization, are making this an increasingly common phenomenon. We dont want them anyway, they say, and since sargassum is normal, its not harming the environment. She said large masses of seaweed have a severe environmental impact, with decaying algae altering water temperatures and the pH balance as well as leading to declines in seagrass, coral reef and sponge populations. In 2023, the estimation is not clear as it's not possible to see it on the ocean from satellites yet. I get it and I am too frequently among them. More than 24 million tons of sargassum blanketed the Atlantic in June, up from 18.8 million tons in May, according to a monthly report published by the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab that noted "a new historical record.". ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-110849776', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Bahamas before (Cat) but the Sargassum is particularly bad this year and we needed to check, too, just for our peace of mind! Maybe or not, Key West cruise ships | Imagine the crowds if there were still three ships a day, Chinese spy balloon? Thank you for support our work. June 17, 2022. USF / NASA Alert: Second consecutive monthly doubling of Sargassum ! This, in turn, affects the biodiversity of the system they support. The seaweed stinks as it rots in the sun, attracting flies, imperiling sea-turtle nests and fish, and churning the stomachs of beachgoers, who help prop up the economy of many coastal communities. Browse forums All Caribbean forums Bahamas forum Watch this Topic Get answers to your questions about Bahamas Ask a question Bahamas All Inclusive/Adult Only/Smaller Resorts 3 replies In short, if anyone is telling you beaches in Key West, the Keys or on the east coast of Florida are fine; just a normal summer you ought ask them if theyve been outside recently. When the unrestrained blankets of sargassum reach the coast, they prevent light from filtering to the seabed, which is essential for the biology of corals and types of algae that produce food through photosynthesis. 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. The brown-gold plant sloshes up on the sand in thick, gloopy waves so dense that, from the air, it looks like soil. Authorities have collected 9,467 on the coast and 97.7 in the sea. Though helpful and great for photo ops, a handful of diligent locals with rakes isnt going to put a dent in the sargassum. The "golden tide" also has hit humans hard. But on Tuesday, the government announced it suspended removal efforts because the level of decomposition made it impractical. This map was created by a user. At first read, Id say the project has merit and South Beach is a good location to test the efficacy of these permeable barriers (they arent nets). Most of my concerns (turtle nesting, environmental impacts and long-term monitoring and maintenance) are addressed in the proposal and staff review. But that Im here now, so pull up the drawbridge culture is as unproductive as is the sargassum happens every summer crowd. You claim this is a seaweed free area? No purchase necessary. We are working to prevent them from reaching the beaches and if they do, to collect them.. who are looking for solutions. Welcome to Sargasso Tracker. Members who are knowledgeable about this destination and volunteer their time to answer travelers' questions. If you can't be bothered even to check the website a few times a week, subscribe to our newsletter.