Record Atlantic sargassum seaweed threatens spring breakers
Record levels of seaweed in the Atlantic are piling up in the Caribbean, just in time for spring break. This year is expected to be another record year for the stinky seaweed.
Scientists say record levels of sargassum are already building across the Atlantic and Caribbean, and 2026 could rival the worst year on record, bringing big blobs and big cleanup crews to popular beaches.
Record amounts of Sargassum seaweed are slowly moving west and north across the Atlantic Ocean, piling up on the shores of the Caribbean, including some popular spring break destinations.
At the end of February, scientists at the University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab sounded the alarm: Sargassum seaweed is forming earlier and more abundantly than ever this season in the Atlantic -- worse than the record year of 2022.
Tourists travel in a classic American car along the Malecon littered with sargassum seaweed, in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Where is the seaweed now, and where will it go?
At the end of February, the largest concentration of the 13.6 million metric tons of sargassum was in the Atlantic east of the Leeward Islands, where record levels for January and February were set. Official records of Sargassum coverage started in 2011.
The report says that the amount of Sargassum will continue to increase, and 2026 is likely to be another major Sargassum year, the scientists say.
The latest Sargassum Inundation Risk says that most of the coast of southern Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the northern Lesser Antilles remain in a high risk for seaweed to wash up. The high-risk area also includes the eastern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Miami Beach and much of the Florida Keys.
While many of these locations are prime spring break destinations, most resorts are used to dealing with the stinky piles. On March 6, Royal Caribbean announced it was investing in a major program to manage Sargassum in Mahahual, Mexico. In Miami, Sargassum removal is an annual event, accounting for $9 million of the $11 million beach maintenance budget each year.
Ultimately, though, currents and wind patterns will dictate which beaches are inundated with the brown stuff.
What is sargassum?
Sargassum is a kind of seaweed, which is a type of algae. Sargassum never touches the seafloor until it dies. The algae tends to float in islandlike chunks and serves as breeding grounds for fish, turtles, birds and other animals.
Seaweed covers the Atlantic shore in Frigate Bay, St. Kitts and Nevis, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Is seaweed dangerous?
The hydrogen sulfide gas it releases when it rots is not only stinky but can irritate people's eyes, nose and throat, the Miami Herald says. The seaweed can also contain jellyfish or sea lice that can irritate skin.
A young boy walks across seaweed that has accumulated on the beach, Tuesday, June 24, 2014, in Port Aransas, Texas. The Sargassum is piled and removed as it continues to wash onto the beach. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
