Could a record amount of sargassum wash ashore in Palm Beach this summer?
A recent spike in the smelly, brown-and-tan seaweed in the tropical Atlantic suggests the answer could be yes.
Researchers from the University of South Florida say seaweed levels between Africa and the Caribbean have hit 13 million metric tons, setting a new March record. More growth is expected heading into the peak months of June and July.
“We predicted back in December and January this would be a major year, but no one was certain whether it would be a record year,” USF oceanography professor Chuanmin Hu told the Palm Beach Post. “But now we already have a record March, and we have some confidence that this will be another record year.” Sargassum already is showing up on some Palm Beach County beaches, including those in Palm Beach.
Diane Buhler, founder of the nonprofit Friends of Palm Beach, said that sargassum levels are “definitely higher” on town beaches this year.
“With the the unfortunate facts of climate change and the heating of the ocean, sargassum is doubling and tripling in size,” she told the Daily News. “So there is a lot coming in right now.”
Sara Gutekunst, the town’s coastal coordinator, said she has been getting “a lot of calls” from residents inquiring about the increase in sargassum on island beaches. “I’ve been on the beaches a couple times a week, every week, and the last two weeks we’ve been seeing a lot more sargassum,” she said. “People have been noticing it.”
Easterly winds have fueled the recent rise in sargassum, Gutekunst said, as they often push the seaweed toward shore. When the winds shift back to the west, some of that material will move back offshore and result in less piling on the beaches.
“It’s really kind of wind- and weather-dependent,” she said. Buhler noted that sargassum is showing up across all of the town’s beaches, not just in isolated spots.
“It’s not one area versus another,” she said. “It’s pretty consistent. The groins are going to collect more, because that’s just the nature of groins. It’s not only the underwater sand system it collects. It’s the seaweed as well. This year does seem to have a bit more, but it’s the reality of what’s happening out in our oceans. We are just part of the cycle and gyre of the Atlantic to get and accept our fair share. But right now, of course, it’s causing some odor.” Seaweed accumulation is a regular issue for the town during sargassum season, which typically runs from March to October.
Though manageable amounts of seaweed came ashore during the past two years, a heavy surge in 2022 prompted town officials to act quickly with removal and management measures.
Those efforts involved approving a contract for special projects and mechanical beach cleanups, and extra raking services for the beach areas north of Angler Avenue. That area sits in the shadow of the inlet jetty, and the seaweed there is more prevalent, town officials have said.
“This may be a new normal,” council member Bobbie Lindsay said in September 2022. “I have not seen this much sargassum in the 20-plus years I’ve lived up here. I can tell you that I’ve never seen it like I saw it this year.” While it remains to be seen if this year will be a record-setting one for sargassum, Buhler cautioned that the seaweed can support coastal health and should be managed carefully.
“It is very beneficial for the beach, for wildlife on the beach, for nutrients, and for beach erosion,” she said. “It becomes the brick and the mortar for the beach.”
