Sargassum Blooms May Break 2026 Records After 37,500 Million Tons in 2025
Updated
Updated · The Conversation · Jul 29
Sargassum Blooms May Break 2026 Records After 37,500 Million Tons in 2025
3 articles · Updated · The Conversation · Jul 29
Summary
Summer 2026 could set another sargassum record, with researchers warning the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has become a chronic, self-sustaining coastal disaster.
2010 winds first pushed Sargasso Sea weed into the tropical Atlantic, and scientists say floating mats now recycle nutrients through their own ecosystem, feeding the next bloom even when earlier triggers fade.
A mathematical model matched blooms from 2011 to 2022 and correctly predicted 2023 and 2024 growth using nitrogen measurements collected around the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Since 2011, the seaweed has repeatedly fouled beaches, clogged harbors and released hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and methane as it decomposes, disrupting tourism, fishing, boating and marine life.
Researchers say better forecasts could help coastal communities prepare and support uses for the biomass in biofuels, fertilizers and building materials.
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