Globs of seaweed wash ashore Miami Beach ahead of sargassum season

MIAMI - Drone video from over South Florida shows thick globs of seaweed blanketing beaches from North Miami to South Beach, as a strong easterly current has intensified both the threat of rip currents and the presence of sargassum.

The large globs of seaweed that have washed ashore in recent days have surprised some experts and caught tourists off guard. 

Typically, the seaweed season for the Sunshine State takes place during the summer and fall, but the early influx is raising questions about what may lie ahead during the coming months.

The University of South Florida, which monitors sargassum blooms through satellite imagery, noted during its March update that the Gulf Stream was expected to act as a significant barrier, keeping much of the algae offshore during the spring.

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Sargassum is a naturally occurring brown seaweed that floats in large masses across the ocean.

Health experts say that while the seaweed may look and smell unpleasant, it poses little risk to humans, but it can significantly impact the tourism industry.

The latest encounter with the algae isn’t necessarily a sign of how active this year’s season will be; however, it comes after warnings of significant amounts of algae being detected in parts of the Western Hemisphere.

According to satellite data, sargassum levels in the Gulf and the western Atlantic remain relatively low but growing blooms in the Caribbean and central Atlantic are considered to be significant.

"What is noteworthy is that the total Sargassum amount in the tropical Atlantic as well as for all regions combined reached a new historical record for the same month of March," a recent USF report stated.

It is undetermined if the seaweed will plague Florida like in 2023, when beaches were covered in the sticky mess.

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The exact causes of the growing blooms are not fully understood, but researchers point to climate change, fertilizer runoff and deforestation in South America as possible significant contributors.

If general seaweed trends continue, the Florida Keys may not see widespread reports until late spring, with more significant impacts expected across the peninsula by summer.

Governments across the Caribbean and Mexico have unveiled large-scale efforts to combat the annual sargassum influx, hoping to keep coastlines clean and tourism buzzing.

For some species of marine life, brown algae is considered to be beneficial, and biologists believe that the buildup provides food and refuge for small fish, crabs, shrimp and other organisms.