Latest news with #BrianBarnes
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Florida, Caribbean beaches could be choked out by record levels of Sargassum seaweed this summer
TAMPA, Fla. – As summer approaches, beachgoers may need to check an additional forecast detail before heading to the shore: the Sargassum seaweed situation. This year is already a record for the amount of Sargassum in the central Atlantic Ocean. "What we observed in April was far and away greater than anything the satellites have recorded over the last 25 years and presumably ever as far as what would be expected," University of South Florida Research Assistant Professor Brian Barnes said. Barnes is part of the small team using satellites to monitor Sargassum Seaweed. USF's College of Marine Science Optical Oceanography Laboratory maintains the Sargassum Watch System, an outlook on current and future seaweed blooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf, using a suite of satellite data from Nasa, NOAA and private satellites. Mexico Unveils Plan To Tackle Caribbean Seaweed Invasion At Popular Beaches The outlooks and forecasts from USF have become increasingly important each year because massive amounts of Sargassum began washing up on the shores of Florida's east coast and the Caribbean in 2011. It's a relatively new climate phenomenon that is not fully understood. Total amounts of seaweed in the eastern Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic reached "surprisingly high levels," according to the USF Sargassum Watch System. Both were 200% higher than their historical records for the month, and the combined regions were 150% higher than the historical record for April. Prior to satellite data, a bloom of this size would have made headlines. "Somebody would have noticed," Barnes said. "And we're not yet to the peak time of the Sargassum, which is usually June. So there's still a ton of biomass that's kind of not really affecting anyone. It's offshore in the tropical Atlantic right now, but a lot of it is migrating into the Caribbean and there's a ton inside the Caribbean," Barnes said. "Some of that will eventually make its way out and affect more US coastlines." While this is a new issue, some seaweed has always been there, just not in the masses we are seeing now arriving at beaches, creating a problematic issue for coastal tourism as the decomposing seaweed releases a stench best described as rotten eggs. The whole Atlantic contains 31 million metric tons of Sargassum spread over a large area. The impacts on beaches in the Caribbean and Florida can be patchy, said Barnes. Florida's West Coast won't see major impacts because of how the ocean currents flow. Heading into Memorial Day weekend, there is a steady amount of sargassum in the Gulf region, about 200,000 metric tons – a fraction compared to the overall Atlantic Sargassum Seaweed belt. With the right combination of winds, currents and weather, a giant blob of Sargassum can end up on a Florida beach along the Atlantic coast. Local impacts are hard to predict more than a week in advance. "A beach may get impacted, whereas a nearby beach would have absolutely nothing," Barnes said. "So we are working towards, and this is something that it's coming online as this season, fortuitously it's come online as the season is a pretty bad sargassum season, is that we've got some of these higher resolution, the Sentinel-2 and other data sets that provide, for which we can see patches in that near shore area, that provide us a little bit more clarity on where." Barnes and the Sargassum Watch System team are working with additional NOAA funding this year to expand their forecasting ability. The Watch System now includes all of the U.S. waters impacted by the Sargassum belt, including the Florida Keys and eastern Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. South Florida beach communities are removing it using industrial equipment as quickly as they can ahead of the summer rush, while others have looked at the biomass as a potential business opportunity. Barnes said he is contacted nearly every day by startups that want to use seaweed for different purposes. "There is biomass there that's coming ashore that can have value for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals and construction materials and biofuels … but you need to get to it quickly, meaning you have to have your stuff staged," Barnes said. "And if there are marine resources that need to be protected, setting out barriers or at least staging equipment to kind of protect the critical infrastructure, critical resources, is the reason to make that step and make some forecast of where a particular inundation might happen." Download The Free Fox Weather App Barnes said the seaweed forecasting outlook is attracting attention from many different stakeholders, including fisheries, tourism groups, local governments and even the Mexican Navy. Still, for average beachgoers, seaweed is mostly an annoyance and not a major health threat. Some with respiratory issues may have an adverse response, but it's not as severe as red tide, another issue plaguing Florida's coastal communities. There is also a concern about arsenic in the seaweed tissue, so it's not advised to handle it. "For most people, it's just smelly," Barnes article source: Florida, Caribbean beaches could be choked out by record levels of Sargassum seaweed this summer
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Beachgoers beware! A record algae bloom is headed for South Florida
Large and often smelly brownish-colored algae blobs are headed for South Florida shores once again. But this time, they're even bigger. In fact, the amount of sargassum seaweed aimed at Floridians increased last month, with amounts in the eastern Caribbean Sea and west Atlantic Ocean reaching 'surprisingly high levels,' note scientists. Researchers at the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab said levels were 200 percent higher than their historical records in April in both areas, and the total amount in all regions combined was 150 percent higher. 'Furthermore, this total amount was 40 percent higher than the all-time high in June 2022, which makes 2025 a new record year,' they said. So what does this mean for Floridians, the state's ecosystems, and other inhabitants? Sargassum blooms are massive accumulations of brown seaweed that originate in the Atlantic Ocean and float on the surface of the water. The seaweed provides habitat for crabs, shrimp, threatened sea turtles, and fish. They're also filled with plastic. Historically, most of it was located in the Sargasso Sea, but the geographic range for sargassum expanded in 2011. Now, massive amounts from the new 5,000-mile region called the 'Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt' head west into the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Researchers believe the beach-choking blooms are tied to strong ocean currents and wind that help to create ideal growing conditions for the algae. The nutrients that are necessary for multiple kinds of blooms were driven by the shifting winds. Winds and currents carry the seaweed around to Florida. This year, scientists say that the exact reasons for the new historical records need to be investigated, although most were due to local growth and the seaweed's movement. 'Over the last month, we saw somewhere around 31 million metric tons of sargassum, which is the highest amount we've ever recorded in this area and [it] would be the largest macroalgae bloom ever,' Dr. Brian Barnes told News 6. Higher temperatures due to climate change may also be a factor, one scientist told The Miami Herald. But, another expert said hot water temperatures could hurt growth. May is expected to see a continued increase in most regions. The typical peak is in the summer. Florida has spent millions of dollars on clean-up over the last few years. Tourism is adversely affected when beaches close. But, there are also harmful health effects — for humans and animals. Brown tides can smother coral reefs and disrupt nesting grounds for sea turtles. Sargassum is not toxic unless it's rotten. If it is, it releases a hydrogen sulfide gas that can irritate your eyes, nose and throat. People with prior respiratory conditions may have trouble breathing after inhaling it. Its smell is reminiscent of rotten eggs. In addition to other contaminants, sargassum may contain high levels of heavy metals, including arsenic and cadmium. To protect themselves and their families, people should avoid touching or swimming near the seaweed, close their windows and doors if they live near the beach, limit their time on the beach if they have respiratory issues, and use gloves to handle seaweed. 'Stay away from the beach if you experience irritation or breathing problems from hydrogen sulfide — at least until symptoms go away,' the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Liberty Couty high-speed chase ends in Bryan County
LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — A routine traffic stop for speeding turned into a high-speed chase on I-95 Monday. A Liberty County deputy attempted to stop a silver Mazda with a Florida license plate for speeding on mile marker 68 northbound on I-95 shortly after 8 pm., Liberty County Deputy Lt. Brian Barnes said. The car was reportedly stolen in Florida. The reportedly driver continued to travel at a high rate of speed with the deputy in pursuit with flashing lights. Barnes said according to radio traffic, the speed reached as high as 140 mph with the driver passing vehicles on the right lane. The deputy then made the decision to use the PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver when traffic was light to stop the vehicle. The driver lost control and hit a guard rail before the car came to a stop at mile marker 86 in Bryan County. After the car stopped, the driver reportedly fled into the woods. He was arrested soon after. The driver and a passenger were transported to a Savannah hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
USF researchers develop new tool to predict where sargassum seaweed washes ashore
The Brief USF researchers are developing a new tool to predict where sargassum seaweed washes ashore. A five-year grant from NOAA in 2023 made that tracking tool possible. The tracking part is already available, but now they are adding forecasting using water current models going live with it as soon as next year. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - With sargassum season here, it's only a matter of time before the seaweed washes up on shore, and University of South Florida researchers are developing a new tool to predict where it goes. Big picture view Higher-resolution sensors from satellite imaging allow USF researchers like Brian Barnes to pinpoint sargassum seaweed like never before around Florida and the Caribbean. READ: Mosaic to start pilot road project using radioactive waste material in Polk County soon "Instead of saying, 'hey there's a lot of sargassum out in the ocean or out in the Atlantic that may impact Florida in a month or so,' we can look and say that individual patch impact that particular beach in the coming days," said Brian Barnes, a research assistant professor with the USF College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg. Dig deeper Barnes helped to develop the sargassum watch system to track and forecast where the algae's headed. A five-year grant from NOAA in 2023 made that tracking tool possible. The tracking part is already available, but now they are adding forecasting using water current models going live with it as soon as next year. "This first image is essentially a simulation showing where sargassum is now, and we can track over the next three and a half days where the sargassum will move," said Barnes, while demonstrating how the forecasting part of the tool will work. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube Why you should care Sargassum floats on top of water, and it's become a problem in recent years for coastal ecosystems and people. "If you pick it up, it's kind of prickly. It feels like a bunch of grass," said Barnes. "It starts to decay. It's got a really terrible rotten egg smell to it. Some people, you have increased hospitalizations that kind of thing right from the respiratory distress, and it plays havoc on electronics. It's got some heavy metals in it. Overall, it's not really good to have on your beaches." The west coast of Florida may not see a lot of sargassum wash ashore, like the Florida Keys and east coast of Florida, but it can impact who visits the state. "It matters to any tourist area that may be impacted. The Florida Keys, for example, did a study of the impacts of a bad sargassum year with loss of tourism, to the cost of removing it and so forth, and it would be around $20 million for one single event," said Barnes. MORE: Sarasota Bay sees 19% increase in seagrass despite Hurricanes Helene, Milton That's a big number, so knowing where it's going helps communities prepare. "What we can do is, we can stage equipment to remove it quickly, or we can place some barriers that we can prevent it from hitting some of the more sensitive areas," said Barnes. "Don't panic about sargassum but do take a look at our website, some of the other places that are providing information on sargassum and make your plans accordingly." The Source The information in this story was gathered during an interview with Brian Barnes, a research assistant professor with the USF College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Command & Conquer is back in the most surprising way
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. EA has just dropped some news that could interest any budding game developers. It's made four Command & Conquer titles open source, giving up the source code for the legacy real-time strategy franchise under a general public licence (GPL). The decision seems unusually generous from EA, and it could be a good opportunity for indie devs who want to build their learning picking apart games of the past (see our pick of the best game dev software to get started on your journey). EA has released restored original source code on for Command & Conquer and Red Alert, Command & Conquer: Renegade and Command & Conquer: Generals. It's been added to EA's GitHub page alongside the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection from 2020. The code was recovered and restored by EA technical director Brian Barnes, Respawn producer Jim Vessella and Luke 'CCHyper' Feenan, a Command & Conquer community member who proposed and organised the release. Feenan was involved the Remastered Collection and in getting the C&C Ultimate Collection on Steam in March. Fan projects have approximated the code in the past, but access to the full original code will help modders and restorers keep the games playable and could help new developers to hone their skills. Assets and cinematics haven't been made open source though. Meanwhile, EA is adding Steam Workshop support to newer Command & Conquer titles along with a modding support pack. This contains the source XML, Schema, Script, Shader, and map files for all SAGE engine C&C titles so users can make new maps and assets. EA has also published on YouTube newly discovered footage from the C&C Archive for C&C Renegade and C&C Generals featuring alpha gameplay and prototype cinematics. For more game inspiration, see our Monster Hunter Wilds review
