Sargassum Blooms Plague Mexican Beaches, Affecting Tourism

How Sargassum Can Be Stopped Before It Reaches the Shore

Masses of sargassum are washing up on Caribbean beaches, hurting tourism, ravaging ecosystems, and overwhelming beaches. In Cancún, previously pristine beaches are covered in the large brown seaweed that usually floats in the ocean.

So, what can be done?

The first step in controlling sargassum is to understand where it is coming from, why the bloom is so large, and how to prevent it from coming ashore to rot.

Predicting Sargassum Blooms

As sargassum blooms and creeps toward shorelines, it’s only natural to wonder how much will be coming in the next few months.

The University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab’s Satellite-based Sargassum Watch System (SaWS) offers insight into how much, where, and when the sargassum is coming. This program uses satellite data and numerical models to detect and track sargassum as it moves.

SaWS recently released its sargassum outlookbulletin for June and some information about the coming months. The bulletin confirmed the high amount of sargassum beaching in the Caribbean, as well as large amounts in the central west Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

While the estimated sargassum this year is less than was recorded in 2018, which saw more than 20 million metric tons, the total estimated amount this year is supposed to be greater than 10 million metric tons, which is greater than 2015’s sargassum conditions.

Sargassum Watch System at a Glance:

• Large amounts of sargassum are predicted for July and August in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
• This year’s sargassum bloom is the second highest recorded year for the same month.
• Total estimated amount of sargassum is greater than 10 million metric tons so far this year.

The exact amount of sargassum present on beaches will be determined by ocean tides, circulations, and winds. As mentioned above, the sargassum watch system is an estimation, not a direct prediction.

Caribbean Beaches Struggling with Sargassum

Recently, Mexico enlisted  its Navy to remove the sargassum from some of its beaches and water using heavy machinery. The government hoped this would be cost-efficient, but despite its best efforts the problem may have only gotten worse.

Because of this intense sargassum build-up in the Caribbean, representatives from several countries gathered on June 27 in Cancún to discuss strategies to combat sargassum on Caribbean beaches.

Some of the Caribbean countries in attendance:

• Mexico
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• The Dominican Republic
• Jamaica
• Trinidad and Tobago

Officials met not to solve the sargassum problem outright, but to collaborate between each other to better coordinate solutions. Some of those solutions included supporting extra research into the sargassum bloom and developing a warning system similar to ones we have for other natural phenomena.

Typical, But Ineffective, Methods of Sargassum Control

A typical method of sargassum control is to remove it directly from the beaches, but this has its problems. Simply removing the sargassum from the Caribbean shorelines, either by hand or with costly equipment that needs to be maintained, is a tedious, short-term task, rather than a long-term solution. 

When you remove it from the beach, you must have a designated area, away from the public, where you can dispose of it due to its corrosive, toxic nature when it decomposes.

Rotting sargassum problems:

• Emits toxic, corrosive gas
• Attracts invasive insects
• Destabilizes beaches, causing erosion

Unlike other sargassum clean-up methods, a floating containment boom can last awhile and doesn’t require multiple clean-up attempts. This solution meets the sargassum where it exists—in the water.

A Good Solution:Stop Sargassum from Coming Onshore

An effective solution for sargassum control is to stop it while it is still mobile and floating in the water.

Sargassum floats because its berry-like pneumatocysts are filled with air and provide buoyancy on the surface of the water in rafts. Floating rafts of sargassum provide needed habitats for fish, turtles, crabs, and birds.

Sargassum itself is not bad, but problems arise when it grows at an exponential rate as a result of nutrient-rich waters from fertilizer runoff and pollution. If the sargassum is creeping onshore in exponential amounts before it can sink, containing it away from shore is the best solution. 

Cost effective solutions to controlling sargassum include using a floating containment boom, also called a floating barrier. These floating barriers contain:

• Trash
• Debris
• Seaweed

Using a permanent barrier, that won’t allow sargassum to wash over it and requires minimal attention, will keep more sargassum away from the shore for a longer period of time. A permanent barrier is a great solutionfor resorts and hotels, who want to keep their beachfronts clean for guests and swimmers.

Keeping the beaches clean is essential for hotels and businesses around Quintana Roo and Playa del Carmen to survive. For Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Tulum, Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres, tourism is at stake with the invasion of sargassum.

Floating Seaweed Barrier

The benefits of a floating seaweed barrier are abundant. For one, they keep sargassum away from beach goers. Once installed, floating barriers need inspections twice a week or after intense weather. 

As sargassum is contained in the barrier, the beach stays clean, and the need for widespread cleanup is eliminated.

Working to remove sargassum from pristine beaches, and ensuring that it doesn’t come back, requires the right tools. The Orion Aquatic Plantand Containment Boom from GEI Works deflects and diverts sargassum from shorelines all while effectively containing it.

Inspect your sargassum containment boom to make sure that is performing at its highest level. Twice a week, check the boom, connections, lines, and buoys for functionality. Also, remove any build-up of sargassum that could threaten the boom.

The best practices for keeping and maintaininga sargassum containment boom can be simple.

Contact GEI Works to receive help and to discuss your sargassum issues at +1-772-646-0597.

Sargassum on the Move

Over the past several years, Sargassum has been spreading in record numbers due to a combination of factors. New tracking methods are being developed to forecast its movement around the world to coastal communities. Water pollution prevention products can help mitigate the effects to shorelines.

Sargassum is an aquatic weed that forms in the Sargasso Sea. Spanning over 2 million square miles of ocean, it is the only sea without a land boundary, and is defined by its ocean currents. Without land boundaries, the algae are able to freely float around the ocean and reproduce on the high seas. This allows a further and wider spread of the sargassum.

Sargassum often washes up on shores, imperiling navigation, impeding tourism, and affecting coastal commercial fishing.  It can also be unpleasant. As large quantities accumulate and decompose it naturally gives off hydrogen sulfide gas, an odor similar to rotten eggs. Prolonged exposure to this off-gassing can even cause nausea, headaches, asthma problems and eye irritation.

However, Sargassum also serves a vital role. It is important to aquatic life, including crabs and shrimp. They hide in and under the weeds from bigger predatory fish, and they forage it for food.  It’s environmentally illegal to remove the seaweed in some coastal areas because of this. If it’s illegal to remove it, what can be done?

Keeping Sargassum at Bay with Debris Boom

One solution is to deflect the Sargassum to keep it offshore. A floating aquatic plant and debris boom forms a barrier to stop the spread of the sargassum. “If it’s done properly, booms can be very useful. We need to provide some triage. We clearly have to have BMPs in place to prevent the sargassum from hitting the beach,” said Brian LaPointe, a marine biologist researcher and professor  at FAU Harbor Branch Institute in Fort Pierce. The seaweed bumps up against this barrier, collects and then moves away with the tide to other areas. 

The Orion Aquatic Weed Control Boom offered by GEI Works can contain, deflect, or exclude sargassum in a variety of conditions. The debris booms can be used seasonally, long term, or permanently depending on the circumstances. Long-term options are mildew and UV-resistant with stronger PVC, a thicker ballast chain, and are temperature tolerant. The permanent boom is rugged with a molded foam-filled shell, steel weights, urethane coating, and heavy duty aluminum sliding connectors. 

The Past, Present and Future of Sargassum Seaweed

Brain LaPointe, a marine biologist, holding sargassum off shore.

The largest quantities of floating sargassum occurred recently in 2015. Many theories point to human intervention for the dramatic increase in sargassum.  In an interview with GEI Works, Brian LaPointe said, “Climate change is playing a role in this.” Warmer waters allow the sargassum to grow at a faster rate. 

He added that the 2010 BP oil spill cleanup may have also played a role. Corexit, a compound used in water to stop the spread of oil, may have dramatically increased the nitrogen levels in the Gulf of Mexico. The nitrogen acts as a fertilizer for sargassum causing the seaweed to bloom at faster rates. Also, toxic waste coming from sewage systems gets dumped into the rivers and that further adds to the nitrogen levels. 

However, this is partly speculation, and we aren’t fully able to pinpoint the cause and solutions with certainty. “We need to do more research,” LaPointe added. While some is known, a lot is still unknown. He also said that time will tell. A shift in sargassum patterns and cycles can reveal some about the causes. For instance, if sargassum begins to steadily decrease, then the BP Oil spill might have been a bigger factor than we even realized. Ongoing research is a vital tool for understanding sargassum and its future role in our aquatic ecosystem.

Governments and non-profit agencies are finding ways to track the seaweed and predict its spread and movement. One example is Texas A&M’s Sargassum Early Advisory System (SEAS), which uses satellite imagery to predict the levels of sargassum in different locations. It forecasts for: the Gulf Coast, Mexico, the Grand Caymans, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and many other Caribbean islands. The SEAS system identifies the path and factors of the sargassum cycle, understanding the nature of sargassum to create a more accurate forecasting model. It can help communities be prepared before it shows up on their shores.

Research and planning are important for communities in the path of sargassum. Learning to mitigate the effects with solutions such as our Orion Aquatic Boom can keep tourism alive, waters navigable, and communities healthy. 

If you need help with sargassum, contact GEI Works, and we can develop a solution for you.

GEI Works (www.geiworks.com)

Call us at +1-772-646-0597 or Request a Quote