![]() ![]() There is even a type of frogfish known as "sargassum fish" who live solely in this habitat. It's typical for these Sargassum belts to stretch for miles across the ocean's surface, and they can serve as a floating home for animals such as sea turtles, marine birds, shrimps and crabs. It's typical for these Sargassum belts to stretch for miles across the ocean's surface, and they can serve as a floating home for animals such as sea turtles, marine birds, shrimps and crabs.Īccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA), Sargassum is unlike typical seaweeds that are usually anchored to the bottom of the ocean by root-like "holdfasts." In contrast, Sargassum never anchors to the ocean floor, and thus floats on the surface. But in line with Sargassum behavior in the last five years, this belt is typical as the Sargassum enters another annual cycle. Compared to a decade ago, Xie called the phenomenon "unusual" because "such a belt did not exist" back then. Xie and his colleagues track Sargassum seaweed's annual cycle, and use NASA satellites to collect data on its size. ![]() Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter The Vulgar Scientist. "Such recurrent blooms may become the new normal." "This represents the world's largest macroalgal bloom," the researchers reported. Over the last few centuries, scientists reported that these "mats" have been "limited" and "discontinuous." But in 2011, they started to increase in prevalence and density again, resulting in an 8,850-kilometer-long bloom extending from West Africa to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. According to a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, floating belts of Sargassum seaweed were first reported in the 15th century by Christopher Columbus. Technically, Sargassum seaweed belts are not new phenomena. Xie noted that this belt is not "moving towards Florida," like some kind of ominous monster, but that only a "tiny portion of seaweed within the belt" has, and will, reach the east coast of Florida and the Florida Keys. In other words, Sargassum only makes up 0.1 percent of the belt the other 99.9 percent of the belt is "Sargassum free" - just normal ocean water. "But there is a 5,000-mile Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt," which, Xie says, is comprised of less than one-tenth of one percent seaweed. Yuyuan Xie uses satellites to study Sargassum, a genus of large brown algae that floats around in island-like masses. "There is no 'seaweed blob,'" Xie, who works in the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the University of South Florida, told Salon. While the headlines make it sound as if an algal Loch Ness monster is about to destroy Florida beaches - during prime spring break season, too - one oceanographer tells Salon this claim is nothing short of sensational.ĭr. ![]() "A seaweed blob twice the width of the US is heading toward Florida," CNN forewarned. "Massive seaweed bloom starts washing ashore on Florida beaches," the New York Post reported. Taxes, fees not included for deals content.In the past week, numerous news outlets warned of a massive " seaweed blob" destined to take over Florida's east coast. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this matter, you are welcome to contact our customer support team.īusinessYab is not a booking agent, and does not charge any service fees to users of our site.īusinessYab is not responsible for content on external web sites. ![]() The brand names, logos, images and texts are the property of these third parties and their respective owners. BusinessYab cannot be held responsible or liable for the accuracy, correctness, usefulness or reliability of the data. The content displayed in the BusinessYab Directory consists of information from third parties, among others from publicly accessible sources, or from customers, who have a presentation page in our directory. © 2023 All Rights reserved.Īt BusinessYab our purpose is to help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists, restaurants, bars, hotels, local businesses. ![]()
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