Sargassum

Sargassum Seaweed is a Natural Event.

 

Photo by David  Horner 07/2017

Sargassum Seaweed found on beaches is a naturally occurring event that happens along the Gulf Stream and throughout the Caribbean.

The Sargassum is full of life and home to Sargassum shrimp, Planehead filefish, crabs, turtles and seahorses. It is full of nutrients and used for fertilizer and building beach dunes.

The Sargassum will eventually wash back out to sea or decompose.

 

Map drawn by Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab. for Sargasso Sea Commission

Where does it come from?

Sargassum comes from the Sargasso Sea which is defined by ocean currents rather than land boundaries.

 

Gulf Stream

How does it get here?

The Sargassum Seaweed is drawn out of the Sargasso Sea by Coriolis Effects. It then travels on the Gulf Stream throughout the Atlantic Ocean and is deposited on beaches along the way.