Stinky Seaweed Chokes American Coast Due to Hotter Oceans and Deforestation

Sargassum is a natural occurrence on beaches in the Caribbean but warmer waters and the use of fertilizers has seen it proliferate dramatically in recent years.

Slimy, stinky brown seaweed that ruins beachgoers’ vacations from Mexico to Florida may be the new normal unless Brazil halts Amazon deforestation, experts say.

The culprit, called sargassum, turns clear-blue sea water a murky brown and smells like rotten eggs when it washes ashore and starts to rot.

The seaweed is a natural occurrence on beaches in the Caribbean and elsewhere.  
It’s part of an ecosystem for fish, crabs and birds.

But it has proliferated dramatically in recent years, covering shores with thick layers of the weed and forcing tourism officials to clean it up so visitors keep coming.

It is an icky nuisance for tourists and an economic and environmental disaster.

Read more at Stinky Seaweed Chokes American Coast Due to Hotter Oceans and Deforestation