Sargassum seaweed washing up on Florida beaches has ebbed to levels normally seen in early fall, even below normal in some areas. The once-anticipated 5,000-mile-wide bog in the Atlantic and Caribbean has rapidly — and mysteriously — disappeared.
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Substantial sargassum is expected in June in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, according to the May report from the University of South Florida. That's no surprise to beachgoers who have been seeing the smelly seaweed on Florida beaches from Pensacola to Brevard County.
USF reports it remains difficult to predict exact timing and location for individual beaching events but substantial amounts of the seaweed are expected in May in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. June is forecast to be the likely peak of the 2023 season, but impacts are expected to continue into July.
Florida's seaweed season typically runs from April until October, peaking in June and July. The seaweed comes in waves, depending on currents and wind direction. The seaweed itself is not harmful to humans, but decaying sargassum on beaches releases hydrogen sulfide that can impact people with breathing issues.
Sargassum season in the Mexican Caribbean typically runs from May through October, with July and August generally being the worst months for its arrival.
While exposed eastern shores are most likely to get hit by surges of sargassum, some beaches in Mexico have no sargassum. This includes Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo and Cozumel's western shore. They're generally seaweed-free. However, much depends on winds and ocean currents.
A giant blob of seaweed called the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is floating toward the West Coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. The mass, pictured in the map below, could be an estimated 13.5 million metric tons in 2023 and is known as sargassum. What is that, and what happens as it reaches the coast?
As summer is now in full swing, however, scientists with the University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab found a drop in the amount of sargassum blooms. Sargassum seaweed on a Fort Lauderdale beach. May 2023. They noted that the amount of seaweed dropped by about 9 million metric tons between May and June.
In Florida, barrier islands like Miami Beach and West Palm Beach tend to get the worst of it because they jut out closer to the Gulf Stream. But Atlantic beaches in states to the north also could see seaweed.
Five people are confirmed dead in the Tampa Bay area due to a rare, flesh-eating bacteria in the waters. According to Florida Health, Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that naturally occurs in warm, brackish seawater and requires salt. This year, there have been 25 reported cases and five deaths since January 2023.
At this time, red tide is not present on St. Pete/Clearwater's beaches. Although many national news outlets reported about a massive seaweed or sargassum blob coming to Florida this summer, this is not affecting the beaches of St.Pete/Clearwater in any way.
Sargassum is at its worst between April and August, peaking in July and August, although this year saw the seaweed arrive early, with some beaches being hit heavily in March. What is this?
That's because the seaweed will follow the Gulf Stream current, which moves around Cuba, past the Florida Keys and then makes its way around Miami and the east coast of Florida, its those beaches where the seaweed will likely wash ashore. It's a natural plant is not an invasive species.
Sargassum is type of brown seaweed that drifts on the ocean surface accumulating along beaches and coastlines throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Texas and Florida, including Miami-Dade County annually from March to October.
Popular resort hubs, including Playa del Carmen and Tulum, have ramped up efforts to deter sargassum from affecting travelers. What is this? Both destinations have set up temporary barriers and hired more cleaners in an effort to attract more travelers.
It will most likely impact south Florida, but researchers do not believe the impact will be as large along Florida panhandle beaches. They will continue to monitor and report on the movement of this mass of seaweed over the course of the summer.
“Sargassum normally does not accumulate in places like Sarasota Bay or Tampa Bay,” says Tomasko. “The biggest problem has been around the resort beaches in the Caribbean and Southeast areas, like Miami Beach.”
Panama City Beach seaweed and algae sometimes make an appearance as unwelcome guests on the (usually) sugar sand beaches and emerald green waters of PCB. Seaweed, algae blooms, and sargassum can wash up on the beaches across the area.
USF reports it remains difficult to predict exact timing and location for individual beaching events but substantial amounts of the seaweed are expected in May in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. June is forecast to be the likely peak of the 2023 season, but impacts are expected to continue into July.
However due to ocean currents, the amount of seaweed landing on beaches in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in June and July 2023 was lower than expected. There's more good news! The sargassum seaweed forecast for September 2023 is minimal seaweed in the Caribbean Sea.