Tuesday, April 18, 2023

From the Beach

This year, satellite images show large seaweed patches 

south of islands in the northern Caribbean. 

The annual sargassum season runs from March through October.

Sargassum provides habitat and food for many invertebrates,

which gives foraging to migratory birds crucial

to coastal ecosystem. Sargassum is a floating, marine

brown algae. It grows in the Atlantic Ocean forming

during high temperatures and it is not harmful to

humans. It floats from the waters near the west coast

of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico and washes up on the

Caribbean and Florida coastlines. Sargassum seaweeds are

vital resource for native wildlife such as sea turtles and seagulls.



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