Seaweed Tsunami: Why Is The Great Atlantic Sargassum Bloom Happening Every Year?

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Scientists Discovered the Biggest Seaweed Bloom in the World. Sargassum, a unique brown seaweed, forms massive floating islands in the ocean, creating a phenomenon known as the "Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt". This belt, growing annually since 2011, provides habitat for marine life but also causes problems when it washes ashore, impacting coastal ecosystems and tourism. Factors contributing to these blooms include nutrient input from West Africa and the Amazon River, primarily from agricultural fertilizers. Despite the challenges, Sargassum also presents opportunities, such as carbon sequestration and use as a natural resource in various industries. So, while Sargassum can be a nuisance, it also represents a unique opportunity.
Sources:
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ima...
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ima...
www.theguardian.com/environme...
oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/s...
www.nature.com/articles/d4158...
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[@CleoHarperReturns]

30 years ago when I was a teen in the Florida Keys, sargassum would wash ashore in great mats every morning, and crews were sent out to rake the stinky mess of the more touristy beaches. This was considered completely normal, and had been for generations before me. It was considered integral to the health of our beaches long term. Later, in the name of tourism, ships would go out off the coast of FL (and probably still do) to chop it up and send it elsewhere before it could even get near the shores. Then all the major beaches were "clean." Mainstream perspective of the "problem" we're facing is completely skewed. The sargassum isn't the problem -- we are. We want the earth to work correctly? Stop over-consuming, stop creating waste. No more self-absorbed, "I'm overwhelmed" excuses. We've lived for hundreds of thousands of years without plastic and chemicals. We don't need them now. I'm not saying we should go without what we need on a daily basis but it's time to explore cleaner options. All of Florida should be powering the entire east coast (and Arizona to the west) with passive clean energy right now. We should barely need biofuel let alone fossil fuels. We're way behind. Restaurants throw out more compost material than we could possibly use. In the eighties we had Absopure water delivery instead using 160+ water bottles per year per person (at more than 350+ million people in the US). That HAD to be better for the environment. And so on. We're disgusted by rats that live in their own filth while creating it tenfold, but we're exactly the same. Cleaning up the excess sargassum is like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. It's treating the symptom, not the problem. Sorry for the rant -- I had no idea this pissed me off so much. I'm not even much of an environmentalist because I get so easily overwhelmed myself. It wasn't until hearing this video that I realized how bent our public perspective on the issue actually is. We are looking at it all wrong.

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

I’ll second all that👌🏻

[@maximolacerante8808]

have you ever even been to cancun? you dont realize the size of the issue, yea i too grew up on the coast and witnesses regular beach cleanups to rid of sargassum, the issue now is on another proportion.

[@CleoHarperReturns]

@@maximolacerante8808 Nope never been. I imagine the way the bay forms a sort of basket that Cancun really suffocates under the weight. Perhaps my example was too generalized but I can only speak from things I actually know. That said, I would hate for you to focus on the example and miss the entire point of what I wrote. Because it's not just about the sargassum. It's about perspective.

[@BlueBloxRoblox]

That's free bricks!

[@LevineLawrence]

Biogas can be easily produced from such rotting seaweed; and the resulting slurry can be q very good fertilizer

[@thestevenjaywaymusic7775]

I think that this could be used as fertilizer rather than chemical. It wouldn’t be difficult. Collect it up, transport it to some fields and let it rot for a few months then dig it into the ground elsewhere.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Arsenic

[@blueocean2510]

It would need to be tested as it may contain plastic, if ok it could be used as fertilizer or fuel. It could also be used as liquid fertilizer.

[@CleoHarperReturns]

That could be an excellent solution. It shouldn't be difficult; what people usually find difficult is the switchover.

[@congozilla]

That sargassum is just about the best garden fertilizer you will ever find in your life. It's brown because it contains a tremendous amount of Nitrogen. And, plants LOVE nitrogen.

[@dougphillips5686]

Interesting fact, the Earth is still in an "ice age" as we have ice on both polar caps. When the polar caps disappear, then we are no longer in an ice age. The Earth has cycled thru at least 6 ice ages so far. We should expect the Earth to heat up, as it has done so at least 6 times before. Thinking we can stop it, is just stupid.

[@nicktroutt6584]

Good information. Sargassum is a huge problem here on the south shore of Haiti.

[@CIS101]

Interesting, and Scary

[@michelbisson6645]

I need all this seaweed

[@gisweat2897]

Love you so much

[@gisweat2897]

Yes

[@fisherforrest]

What is the ferilizer potential of this bloom of seaweed

[@IslandGirl822]

Too much salt content would kill plants

[@luclachapelle3499]

Could be used as a fertiliser !

[@nived3211]

most of the arsenic exists in the form of non-toxic arsenosugars

[@gisweat2897]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😊

[@driverjeff1498]

Polution from rivers in west Africa along with high temp waters

[@jsg2801]

It happens in india too

[@user-sn2oq4qt7b]

I dont care about the beach goers, business and the tourist but im happy that the sargassum is doing good for many people from sucking carbon from athmosphere and help giving safe space to ocean dwellers like turtles fish shrimps. Thats all matters

[@MusikCassette]

what heavy metals are in sargassum? I guess led, but what other metals would be found in there ?

[@newnaturechannel]

Arsenic, cadmium and lead

[@MusikCassette]

@@newnaturechannel THX

[@MusikCassette]

@@newnaturechannel ok, I came up with a plan: instead of seeing this as problem I see that as a chance to get green energy and clean up metal contamination from the ocean: We collect the stuff from a part we make biochar from the bigger part we make biogas. that we freeze up to bioLNG. Selling the bioLNG should bring enough money, to pay for the whole thing. The digestate from the biosgas productiongets filtered through biochar, on that biochar wie hydroponically grow ladder brake. that should soak up the arsene. And basked willow. that should take care of the lead and the cadmium. those plants than can be sold as metal oars. The filtered digestate gets bag into the ocean, so the sargassm can use it again to grow, and to filter the water for those harmful metals. so what do you think about it?

[@whimandaprayer]

​@@newnaturechannelyou're on top of this! 👍 I'm just learning about it. Seen a story just today on my weather app, and found your vid.

[@whimandaprayer]

​@@newnaturechannel After the BP spill, my cousin went swimming in the gulf...came down with the flesh eating virus.

[@nived3211]

Monsanto said it has arsenic, oh well cant use haha.🙉

[@newnaturechannel]

Agree that there's not enough conclusive evidence that it's dangerous but this study from 2020 is notable that found that total arsenic concentration in Sargassum varied between 24-172 ppm DW, exceeding the maximum limit for seaweed intended as animal fodder (40 ppm DW) in 86% of the samples. The high arsenic content is also of concern for environmental contamination of the sea and aquifer. Source: Element concentrations in pelagic Sargassum along the Mexican Caribbean coast in 2018-2019" by Rosa E. Rodríguez-Martínez et al. (2020) peerj.com/articles/8667/

[@whimandaprayer]

​@@newnaturechannel Typically they just adjust the acceptable recommended ppm levels. Remember Fukushima with radiation levels? Surprised they don't have us all brushing our teeth with Corexit by now.

[@Kacavida11]

There is a potential in the market of development as a free resource of the seaweed plant, open a company and develop an industry in this area, if there is any. It would be smart to buy stock as it can only grow, and (grow, if you know what I mean :))

[@newnaturechannel]

There is a small operation making bricks in Mexico I believe, have a look at Sargablock! fortomorrow.org/explore-solutions/sargablock

[@jerryware1970]

Fertilizer.

[@armxy]

I had multiple sargassum as the video goes.😅

[@stevenrowlandson9650]

Collect it and put it on the garden.

[@chadspinalbosd007]

Create a big boat where you can catch it and burn it

[@anthonybaransky137]

The seaweed should be gathered, pressed to remove all water cut and burned for fuel

[@windioktavia6394]

Hallo..I'm windi oktavia from shandhika widya cinema the keajaiban dunia program Net TV. Want to ask for this account video and permission to play the net TV kejaiaban dunia program, and then we'll include a source/credit title with this account name, thank you

[@newnaturechannel]

Hey you can use the email in the about section of this channel to get in touch privately.

[@thomas-marx]

Make that money

[@adbellable]

co2 capture

[@nicholasvillarreal2051]

The ocean cleans its self

[@whimandaprayer]

Revelation 8:9

[@nicholasvillarreal2051]

@@whimandaprayer nope not this time lol it’s from river run off, to much nutrients in the water. it causes algae blooms and the sarcasm sea has always been around.

[@whimandaprayer]

Bye bye, beloved sushi. Sigh. Maybe in heaven.

[@Iconoclasher]

Is it edible? Can we turn it into Soylent Red™? 😅

[@whimandaprayer]

I heard that folks feed it to livestock. Problem is, it sometimes has heavy metal toxins. Off the Florida coast, they're saying arsenic. Dangerous to even swim amongst it. I just read that story today on My weather app. 24th October 23.

[@ralexandra1058]

Lmao that’s what I wanna know

[@ryuthedokkebi]

This stuff is edible you know

[@newnaturechannel]

Good luck digesting all those heavy metals...

[@user-el4vx8ce2o]

Το ψέμα πάει καπνος

[@stanmitchell3375]

Quit mining peat moss

[@PedroJNunez]

coronavirus two

[@chrisrayala]

Thumbs down for clickbait thumbnail. What does a woman in bikini have to so with your video?

[@newnaturechannel]

She tries to enjoy her holiday despite the sargassum on the beach :)

[@ralexandra1058]

….am I the only one wondering if you can eat this crap? Lmao

[@EddieA907]

Tell the vegans to get there forks ready

[@EddieA907]

Forgive me their not there

[@aaabeverages7152]

Oh poor babies getting upset about something that's been around for tens of thousands of years