Sargasso seaweed in the North Sound Cayman Islands

A mat of Sargasso weed made its way into the north sound and has clumped together along the coast.
Sargasso weed blooms have been exploding in the Atlantic the past 10 years. 2018 set records. This year has blown those records away. Cause of the blooms is Nutrients/Fertilizers being flushed out of the Amazon River and warmer water in the tropical Atlantic.
Also when these huge mats blow into shore lines like this and start to decompose they give of Hydrogen Sulfide and Ammonia gasses which not only smell bad it is toxic. Another victim to the decomposition is the wildlife under the mat. As it decomposes it sucks the oxygen out of the water and kills everything under it.

[@simongarribaldi9267]

This looks totally biblical. Excellent video conveying the magnitude of the situation.

[@jimmyandlindamagner6716]

Salty.....it seems that so many of our Caribbean islands are feeling the pinch of it! (Are you the Salty that I "knew" from WeatherUnderground?) If so, cheers!! -Lindy (STT)

[@saltydogbwi3]

Thats Me :)

[@tslotaluminium]

Somebody needs to explain this to me

[@saltydogbwi3]

Sargasso weed blooms have been exploding in the Atlantic the past 10 years. 2018 set records. This year has blown those records away. Cause of the blooms is Nutrients/Fertilizers being flushed out of the Amazon River and warmer water in the tropical Atlantic.

[@saltydogbwi3]

Also when these huge mats blow into shore lines like this and start to decompose they give of Hydrogen Sulfide and Ammonia gasses which not only smell bad it is toxic. Another victem to the decomposition is the wildlife under the mat. As it decomposes it sucks the oxygen out of the water and kills everything under it.

[@russellparson7132]

@@saltydogbwi3 the main cause is lawn fertilizer. Golf course nearby?

[@theworldisavampire3346]

Caribbean nations should band together. Figure out a way to capture this mass out at sea every season. Capture it & use it commercially. Your tourism amongst other things is dying.

[@krisgomez407]

Sargassum seaweed from the Sargasso Sea. Just saying

[@cruzanmongoose]

No it's not from the Sargasso sea.. A new area in front of the Amazonian river basin has started propagating Sargasso seaweed, it all started in 2011. this new area of Sargasso is being fed by pollution from billions of gallons of raw sewage, farm fertilizer and slash and burn nutrient run off annually entering the Ocean from Brazil and neighboring countries.. The Sargasso sea is in the middle of the Atlantic the currents do not come from that direction.. If you stand at point Udall on ST Croix you can see the Sargasso patches coming from the direction of Brazil, Not from the North Atlantic