It's all over the news: Florida beaches are receiving an unwanted guest, hefty batches of a large, leafy brown seaweed. Can this infestation pollute the Outer Banks beaches of North Carolina as well? To find out, stay tuned. My name is Denis Raczkowski and I am the baker/broker of Emerald Isle. Currently, bucketloads of this buoyant seaweed are washing up on beaches along the Atlantic coast of Florida earlier in the year than usual, raising scientists’ concerns for what coming months will bring. The leafy brown seaweed is made up of algal species in the genus Sargassum. Its ability to float comes from the small berrylike orbs sprouting from the plant — gas-filled structures mostly containing oxygen. Sargassum Seaweed naturally grows in the Sargasso Sea, between West Africa and the Caribbean in the North Atlantic Ocean. The seaweed tends to bob around in island-like masses that can stretch for miles in the Sargassum Belt. Historically, most of it never reaches Florida’s sandy shores. Not so much anymore as scientists, residents and vacationers alike have, in recent years, seen larger so-called Sargassum blooms. More and more, reports of masses of tangled brown seaweed making landfall on Florida’s shore are making the local and national news. And once the seaweed begins washing up on beaches and starts rotting, it can and does pose a significant threat to coastal environments, beach communities and beach lovers. 2018 was a record year, but several near record years have followed. This annual infestation may become the new normal in Florida and residents and vacationers are going to have to adapt to it.
The sprawling seaweed “blob” occupying the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in early 2023 is rather large even by 2018 standards. Scientists estimate the total mass of Sargassum in the Atlantic every month, using data collected by NASA satellites such as Terra and Aqua, as well as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites. The yearly cycle typically peaks in June. Last year the seaweed broke the record for the highest amount ever recorded in the Atlantic, with some 22 million metric tons of the stuff found across the ocean. In February 2023, the Atlantic Sargassum Belt already contained about six million metric tons of seaweed and March’s mass will be significantly higher. The seaweed’s early arrival is raising concerns about what this summer might bring. Unfortunately, Sargassum amounts can’t be forecast more than two or three months out, so this year’s seasonal peak in the summer is still too distant to predict. Researchers, however, expect this year might turn out to be heavy in seaweed inasmuch as the Atlantic has been reliably producing much more Sargassum in recent decades than it has historically. The high Sargassum levels of recent years are likely in part tied to nutrient-rich water running off land into rivers and out to the oceans, where it can fertilize the seaweed. But understanding and addressing the problem remains knotty and more research is needed to better understand all these nutrient and climate drivers.
The seaweed, as it floats in the ocean, is not a menace but a moving ecosystem, providing a crucial habitat for fish, sea turtles, crabs and marine birds as well as a nursery for commercially important fish like mahi mahi, jacks and amberjacks. But when the Sargassum lands on the beaches, the seaweed becomes both a nuisance and a health risk.. Some of the bigger patches can inundate beaches, causing pileups six feet tall. Once on the beaches, the algae rots and releases chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs. When inhaled, the gas can also cause headaches and irritate a person’s eyes, nose and throat. People with asthma or other breathing problems are cautioned to stay away from infested beaches.
Can such an event happen here off the Carolina coast? Many longtime residents and vacationers remember the Red tide event that occurred here in 1987 and worry about algae blooms after photos and video from the coast of Florida went viral. The good news is that the masses of brown seaweed in Florida is an entirely different event, unrelated to Red tide. Also, there's very little danger of a Sargassum bloom making its way to the North Carolina coast and that is due to the Gulf Stream which is roughly 60 miles offshore. In summer, however, the Gulf Stream moves closer to our shores so we can expect some brown seaweed here in the summer months, but not in the concentrations that Florida is experiencing.
The Red Tide event that occurred here along Bogue Banks in 1987 was the result of a local blue-green algae bloom that took on toxic characteristics. Residents experienced eye and respiratory distress and skin irritations. When that bloom did happen, the Gulf Stream had shifted landward to within 5 miles in some coastal communities. The bloom was linked to massive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into our streams and rivers. Thankfully, water quality standards and stream buffers are in place now to better prevent over-nitrification of our waters and thus reduce the likelihood of another occurrence of this type. That’s a good thing because when the Red tide algae died, the bacteria that fed on it consumed massive amounts of oxygen and the lower dissolved oxygen in the ocean led to fish and oyster kills, the likes of which we are still recovering from nearly 40 years later.
For more information on living the dream on Crystal Coast, please go to www.EmeraldIsleHomesforSaleNC.com and sign up for my blog. Explore the video tab for my weekly uploads to my YouTube channel, Emerald Isle Vacation Home Specialist. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and receive free donuts at my Flip Flops Donut shop. Ready to purchase property in Emerald Isle or on Bogue Banks? Call me at 919-308-2292. Text your email address to 919-308-2292 and subscribe to my newsletter. My book, "Live Where You Vacation" is available on Amazon.com or at Kindle. I post weekly blogs and videos, on real estate, on personal improvement and life here along the Crystal Coast. Thanks for reading. See you next week.
As if you needed another reason NOT to move to Florida.