Sizing Up the Sargassum Belt

Sargassum—a type of floating brown algae—is reshaping the Atlantic, NASA News reports. Over the past 15 years, the seaweed has largely abandoned its traditional North Atlantic home and now concentrates in the tropical Atlantic. In June, it reached the second-highest abundance on satellite record, just behind twenty twenty-five's peak. While moderate amounts provide habitat for sea turtles and support marine ecosystems, excess concentrations become harmful: dense mats choke sea creatures, smother coral reefs and seagrasses, and decompose on beaches to release a rotten-egg smell threatening both wildlife and tourism. NASA satellites track the belt daily, giving coastal communities in the Caribbean and Gulf critical time to prepare.

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