The combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, which is increasing the concentrations of CO2 in the air and the oceans, which may be feeding the sargassum’s growth.“Higher levels of carbon dioxide in the air and water can lead to rapid growth of algae, especially toxic blue-green algae that can float to the surface of the water.”Beachgoers walk past seaweed that washed ashore on March 16, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Sargassum, like other algal blooms, peaks in the summer months because it grows the most in warmer water. As the increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouses like CO2 cause global warming, average ocean temperatures have. That may be contributing to the increased growth of sargassum and lengthening the growth season.
“The world is changing, and part of that is the oceans are getting warmer, and algae seems to be able to grow over a longer period of the calendar now then used to be the case,” Dave Tomasco, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program,The EPA also notes that “warmer water is easier for small organisms to move through and allows algae to float to the surface faster” and “algal blooms absorb sunlight, making water even warmer and promoting more blooms.
It’s not just the warmer temperatures. Second-order effects of climate change may also play a role. For example, since warmer air causes more evaporation, rainstorms are growing more intense. Those storms bring flood waters filled with nitrogen-heavy runoff out to sea.that have caused dead fish to show up in droves on Florida’s coastline.
When sargassum washes up on beaches, it decomposes, releasing hydrogen sulfide, which gives off a rotten egg-like smell. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. And although sargassum itself is not harmful to humans, “tiny sea creatures that live in Sargassum can cause skin rashes and blisters,”
This sounds like a good thing. That's what we're supposed to feed the cows to stop climate change
The giant mass of sargassum seaweed is expected to continue to grow and peak this summer, dumping huge amounts of stinky, smelly seaweed on Gulf Coast beaches as it decomposes.