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A mass of Sargassum seaweed floating towards the West Coast of Florida within the Gulf of Mexico will seemingly be the biggest ever recorded, the College of South Florida mentioned Friday.
The Sargassum bloom is predicted to extend in dimension, with the amount seemingly peaking in June or July. Main beaching occasions are “inevitable” alongside the east coast of Florida, the ocean facet of the Florida Keys and across the Caribbean, researchers on the school mentioned. Whereas the precise timing is tough to foretell, main impacts are anticipated all through the following few months.
Beaching on Florida will come all the way down to wind, wave and tidal circumstances, in accordance with the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA.)
“Given the complexity of its movement, progress, and decay, it’s not attainable to forecast the timing of beaching,” NOAA mentioned. “Nonetheless, given the dimensions and quantity of the present Sargassum patches, there’s a sturdy probability that Sargassum carried by the Florida Present could attain the Florida coast regardless of wind and wave circumstances.”
Massive accumulations of the seaweed have been a recurrent drawback within the Caribbean, within the Gulf of Mexico and within the tropical Atlantic since 2011, in accordance with the NOAA.
As soon as the seaweed washes up, it may possibly trigger some severe — and pungent — issues. As Sargassum decomposes, it begins to odor like rotten eggs. The hydrogen sulfide launched by rotting Sargassum can result in eye, nostril and throat irritation, in accordance with Florida well being officers. It could possibly be worse for these with bronchial asthma.
Individuals who go to seashores after Sargassum has washed up ought to keep away from touching or swimming close to the seaweed, well being officers mentioned. Organisms residing within the seaweed, reminiscent of jellyfish larvae, can irritate the pores and skin.
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