In Search of the Perfect Beach, or Where did all this Sargassum Come From?

Ever since I was little, my parents would pack up the car, my brothers and myself, and we would head to the “sea” as they would say in Europe.  I love the beach!  We would head to the Timmendorfer Strand (on the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany): air temperature 16 C (63 F), water temperature 15 C (60 F).  Brrrr.  So, like migratory birds, we would head on south to the warmer climates of Rimini, Italy.  Here we would spend hours in the Adriatic Sea (average about 25 C or 78 F).

We were elated when the family moved to Southern California.  Who does not dream of Southern California: the sun, the surf, and the famous beaches?  Yes, the beaches were beautiful.  But imagine our disappointment to discover that the Pacific Ocean water is shockingly cold, about as cold as the water temperature we experienced in the Baltic Sea!  In Malibu, the average June water temperature is about 17 C (63F).  Wait, why is that, when the average air temperature is 26 C (78 F)?  Why is there such a great difference?

The cold water temperature in California is due to the North Pacific Drift.  It is a current that flows from west to east.  Get out your world map or a globe to picture this: start of the northern coast of Japan, head on northeast touching on the Bering Sea of Russia, slide along to the right towards Alaska.  There you meet up with the Alaska Current, then start sliding down the Pacific Northwest coast of British Columbia.  Follow your finger south or down the coast of Washington, Oregon, then California.  The North Pacific Drift finally slides down to the Baja California Peninsula of Mexico.  As you can see by the journey, this Drift or current’s water becomes cooler and cooler as it moves north, then east from Japan to Russia to Alaska then the Pacific North West.  Finally, the more south the current heads, it starts to warm up again very, very slowly.

Thus, even though the air temperatures in Southern California are quite warm, and with the summer and fall temperatures quite hot, when you decide to jump into the Pacific Ocean to enjoy a swim, the water temperature is uncomfortably cold.  No wonder the surfers in California have to wear wet suits.  Because staying in that cold water exposes you to hypothermia quite quickly.

So, are you then surprised, that we would start longing to experience warmer sea temperatures once more, where we would no longer need a wet suit to enjoy a swim?  Fast forward a number of years and my husband and I started exploring the Caribbean in search of warm sea temperatures. 

In recent years, though, the warm Caribbean (as well as Gulf Coast) waters have been “invaded” by another visitor: brown macroalgae called Sargassum.  To the novice, it is a kind of “seaweed”, however, it has always been in our oceans.  It is part of the ecosystem.  Sargassum is said to even have been observed and documented by Christopher Columbus. 

 

Although many refer to it as seaweed, Sargassum is an algae, not a plant.  Algae are simple organisms with a relatively simple structure.  They can be unicellular or multi-cellular and live underwater.  Each cell is responsible for absorbing water and nutrients such as minerals found in the water for its own survival.  Algae are nonvascular, and they do not have structures like connective tissues, leaves, stems, and roots. 

Sargassum floats like a buoy via small, gas-filled beads. When pieces of a Sargassum break off, the pieces reproduce asexually. 

The Atlantic Ocean’s Sargasso Sea was named after this algae because this area hosts a large amount of Sargassum.  In fact, when we flew from Miami to the Lesser Antilles, you could actually see large floating mats of Sargassum.  In the past 5 years, there has been increased growth of this algae.  Several climate change factors are said to contribute to this phenomenon: the rise in sea temperature and the change in sea currents.  Mineral fragments of iron and phosphorus carried by Saharan dust clouds making their way across the Atlantic have been responsible for feeding the algae and accelerating its bloom as have nutrients from industrial fertilizers that wash into the sea via streams and rivers.

Sargassum can be a Blessing as well as a Curse

As a blessing, these floating mats are a source of food as well as shelter for a variety of sea life. Crabs and shrimp will live within a Sargassum mat, which in turn is a meal for small sea turtles.  While at sea, the mats provide shelter and cover for the small sea turtles.  The floating mats also provide “islands” for sea birds.  Over 150 species of fish including Mahi-Mahi spawn in the warm ocean currents where Sargassum proliferates, providing shelter and food for their young.

The Curse

The Caribbean islands already suffered greatly from the destruction caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.  Billions of Dollars and Euros were needed to rebuild infrastructure and the economy which heavily relies on tourism.  This was followed in 2018 and 2019 in plaguing the Caribbean with massive Sargassum blooms.  Massive floats of the stuff were deposited on their shores.  Funding, manpower, and equipment to handle the problem have been scarce.  Currently, due to Covid-19, funds to assist with this problem have obviously been redirected to handle the heath emergency.

Below, we can see the magnitude affecting a previously pristine beach in the Caribbean.

 

It represents a curse for the tourism industry, as it fouls beaches and makes swimming almost impossible, without getting tangled in it.  While it is in the water though, it is harmless to humans.  However, one should exercise caution as tiny sea creatures live in Sargassum that can cause rashes and blisters.

Floating Sargassum is also a nuisance for the boating and fishing industry, by snarling boat propellers and tangling fishing nets.

For the endangered sea turtles, new hatchlings previously had a fighting chance against predators onshore to reach the seawater.  However, once the Sargassum is washed up on the shore, this curse is blocking their access and preventing them from even reaching the water. 

Health Hazard: Decomposing Sargassum

Once large quantities of Sargassum land on the beach and start decomposing, it begins to release hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs.  Exposure to even moderate concentration levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) can result in severe respiratory irritation such as coughing, difficulty breathing and even fluid in the lungs.  It can result also in severe eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. 

What does the future hold?

It turns out every cloud has a silver lining.  

Although it is time-consuming and has labor and other associated costs tied to it, some beach managers at resorts have found that small amounts can be buried a bit further up the beach.  Not only does it help combat beach erosion, but also can act as a natural fertilizer. 

To be used as a fertilizer and mulch, it needs to be leached to wash off the high salt content.  This can be done by spreading it about in a 1 to 2-inch layer on designated fields to expose it to the elements to be washed by rainfall or by watering it, then to be dried by the sun.  The end result is an inexpensive, 100% natural, and sustainable resource.  Local farmers have discovered that the high salt content is a deterrent for slugs, snails, and other pests.

Caribbean high school students are experimenting with Sargasssum as part of their Chemistry curriculum.  They have placed second overall in the competition with science projects from all over France.  Their research is set to benefit the local economy through newly discovered uses.

In Mexico, for instance, Sargassum is now being used by farmers as fertilizer for crops such as beans, corn, and squash.  In another pilot program, the cost of providing or repairing housing for the needy was reduced by up to 50% by replacing straw with leached Sargassum in making adobe bricks.  Other eco-friendly products have been to create paper and cardboard out of the stuff, thus avoiding cutting down trees.  In the cosmetic industry, makeup, moisturizing creams, hair strengthening treatments, and even sunscreens have been created.  

Finally, Sargassum could be the latest food fad.  In Asian cultures, other species of seaweed are already part of the diet. It just may be that the Sargassum from the Caribbean will end up on a dinner table near you in the very near future.

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