{"id":295377,"date":"2026-06-04T03:53:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T03:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/295377\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T03:53:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T03:53:16","slug":"sargassum-levels-reach-record-high-for-may-expected-to-increase-in-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/295377\/","title":{"rendered":"Sargassum levels reach record-high for May, expected to increase in June"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SEAWEED SURGE: A sargassum invasion is impacting South Florida beaches, with record levels prompting daily satellite tracking. Brian Barnes, a research professor at the University of South Florida, joined FOX Weather to break down what\u2019s driving the surge and what it means for coastal communities.<\/p>\n

FLORIDA – Record-high amounts of sargassum seaweed<\/a> were reported across the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n

CLEANUP EFFORTS UNDERWAY AS LARGE AMOUNT OF SARGASSUM SPOTTED ON MIAMI BEACH<\/a><\/p>\n

According to a report<\/a> from the University of South Florida<\/a>‘s Optical Oceanography Lab, sargassum continued to increase in most regions, resulting in a record-high amount for the month of May.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A seaweed belt surrounds boats moored along Dinner Key Marina outside of Monty’s Coconut Grove restaurant in Miami, Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(Al Diaz\/The Miami Herald\/Tribune News Service via Getty Images \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Researchers say that at least 4% of the ocean’s<\/a> surface is currently covered by clumps and mats of sargassum, and those amounts are likely to increase in June.<\/p>\n

WHAT IS SEA LICE? HOW TO AVOID THE PARASITE AS SARGASSUM FLOODS SOUTH FLORIDA BEACHES<\/a><\/p>\n

They expect 2026 to be another major sargassum year if levels exceed 75% of historical values. As of now, it appears the region could experience a record year by the summer <\/a>of 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ <\/p>\n

Dead Sargassum (dark) and live Sargassum (clear) washed up on the shore outside Capesterre de Marie Galante.<\/p>\n

(Photo by OLIVIER MORIN\/AFP via Getty Images \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

What is sargassum?<\/p>\n

Sargassum is a naturally occurring brown seaweed that floats in large masses across the ocean and washes up along the coastlines of numerous states, including Florida<\/a>, Texas<\/a> and Louisiana<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since 2011, however, sargassum has become a recurring problem in the Caribbean<\/a> Sea, Gulf of Mexico<\/a> and Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a> (NOAA).<\/p>\n

\"FILE <\/p>\n

\u00a0A seagull walks over seaweed that washed ashore in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<\/p>\n

(Joe Raedle \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Health<\/a> said sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide gas as it decomposes on beaches<\/a>, producing an odor similar to rotten eggs.<\/p>\n

Is sargassum dangerous?<\/p>\n

The hydrogen sulfide from the sargassum can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and may be especially problematic for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.<\/p>\n

COULD SMELLY SARGASSUM BECOME THE NEXT FOOD PRODUCT?<\/a><\/p>\n

Sargassum can also contain high levels of arsenic, heavy metals, organic contaminants and marine debris that may be harmful to humans.<\/p>\n

\"Sargassum <\/p>\n

Sargassum seaweed floats across the ocean.<\/p>\n

(LOIC VENANCE \/ AFP \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The seaweed does provide an important habitat for migratory organisms that have adapted specifically to this floating algae, including crabs<\/a>, shrimp, sea turtles<\/a> and commercially important fish species such as tuna and marlin.<\/p>\n

SARGASSUM SEAWEED BLOOMS PLAGUING ATLANTIC BEACHES TRACED BACK TO WEST AFRICA<\/a><\/p>\n

However, tiny creatures that live within the seaweed can cause skin rashes and blisters when they come into contact with humans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEAWEED SURGE: A sargassum invasion is impacting South Florida beaches, with record levels prompting daily satellite tracking. Brian…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[6104,28,249,251,250,555,5734,16190,105,82689,2075,5537,628,4624,1740],"class_list":["post-295377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-beaches","tag-florida","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-louisiana","tag-ocean","tag-outdoors","tag-stay22","tag-summer","tag-texas","tag-us","tag-wildlife","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}