Latest news with #Martinique
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Scientists say a record amount of seaweed hit the Caribbean and nearby areas in May
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A record amount of sargassum piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, and more is expected this month, according to a new report. The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close.
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Caribbean beaches blighted by record masses of stinking seaweed
A record amount of sargassum has piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, and more is expected this month, according to a new study. The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close. The amount – 38m tonnes – is the biggest quantity of algae observed across the Caribbean Sea, the western and eastern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico since scientists began studying the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011, said Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida who worked on the new report from the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab. The previous record was set in June 2022 , with some 22m tonnes. 'The peaks just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger year after year,' he said. But scientists don't know why yet. 'It's the million-dollar question,' he said. 'I don't have a supremely satisfying answer.' Three different types of sargassum exist in the Caribbean and nearby areas, reproducing asexually as they remain afloat thanks to tiny air sacs. They thrive in different ways depending on sunlight, nutrients and water temperature, factors that scientists are currently studying, Barnes said. Experts have also said that agricultural runoff, warming waters and changes in wind, current and rain could have an effect. While large clumps of algae in the open ocean are what Barnes called a 'healthy, happy ecosystem' for creatures ranging from tiny shrimp to endangered sea turtles, sargassum near or on shore can wreak havoc. It can block sunlight that coral reefs need to survive, and if the algae sinks, it can smother reefs and sea grasses. Once it reaches shore, the creatures living in the algae die or are picked off by birds, Barnes said. Huge piles of stinky seaweed also are a headache for the Caribbean, where tourism often generates big money for small islands. In the popular tourist spot of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, officials have invested in barriers to prevent sargassum from reaching the shore. In the Dutch Caribbean territory of Sint Maarten, crews with backhoes were dispatched in late May as part of an emergency cleanup after residents complained of strong smells of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can affect a person's respiratory system. 'The smell is quite terrible,' Barnes said. Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean, officials expect to soon use storage barges and an upgraded special vessel that can collect several tonnes of seaweed a day. The sargassum 'disfigures our coasts, prevents swimming and makes life impossible for local residents', the French prime minister, François Bayrou, recently told reporters. But Comito said such vessels were 'massively expensive' and not a popular option, noting that another option – using heavy equipment – is labor-intensive. 'You have to be careful because there could be sea turtle eggs affected,' he said. 'It's not like you can go in there and massively rake and scrape the whole thing.' Some Caribbean islands struggle financially, so most of the cleanup is done by hotels, with some offering guests refunds or a free shuttle to unaffected beaches. Every year, the amount of sargassum expands in late spring, peaks around summer and starts to decline in the late fall or early winter, Barnes said. The new record is likely to be broken – experts said they expect even more sargassum for June.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Scientists say a record amount of seaweed hit the Caribbean and nearby areas in May
A record amount of sargassum piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, and more is expected this month, according to a new report. The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close. The amount — 38 million metric tons — is the biggest quantity of algae observed across the Caribbean Sea, the western and eastern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico since scientists began studying the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011, said Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida who worked on the report published on Monday by the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab. The previous record was set in June 2022, with some 22 million metric tons. 'The peaks just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger year after year,' he said. But scientists don't know why yet. 'It's the million-dollar question,' he said. 'I don't have a supremely satisfying answer.' Three different types of sargassum exist in the Caribbean and nearby areas, reproducing asexually as they remain afloat thanks to tiny air sacs. They thrive in different ways depending on sunlight, nutrients and water temperature, factors that scientists are currently studying, Barnes said. Experts also have said that agricultural runoff, warming waters and changes in wind, current and rain could have an effect. While large clumps of algae in the open ocean are what Barnes called a 'healthy, happy ecosystem' for creatures ranging from tiny shrimp to endangered sea turtles, sargassum near or on shore can wreak havoc. It can block sunlight that coral reefs need to survive, and if the algae sinks, it can smother reefs and sea grasses. Once it reaches shore, the creatures living in the algae die or are picked off by birds, Barnes said. Huge piles of stinky seaweed also are a headache for the Caribbean, where tourism often generates big money for small islands. 'It is a challenge, but it's certainly not affecting every single inch of the Caribbean,' said Frank Comito, special adviser to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. In the popular tourist spot of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, officials have invested in barriers to prevent sargassum from reaching the shore, he said. In the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten, crews with backhoes were dispatched in late May as part of an emergency clean-up after residents complained of strong smells of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can affect a person's respiratory system. 'The smell is quite terrible,' Barnes said. Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean, officials expect to soon use storage barges and an upgraded special vessel that can collect several tons of seaweed a day. The sargassum 'disfigures our coasts, prevents swimming and makes life impossible for local residents,' French Prime Minister François Bayrou recently told reporters. But Comito said such vessels are 'massively expensive' and not a popular option, noting that another option — using heavy equipment —- is labor-intensive. 'You have to be careful because there could be sea turtle eggs affected,' he said. 'It's not like you can go in there and massively rake and scrape the whole thing.' Some Caribbean islands struggle financially, so most of the cleanup is done by hotels, with some offering guests refunds or a free shuttle to unaffected beaches. Every year, the amount of sargassum expands in late spring, peaks around summer and starts to decline in the late fall or early winter, Barnes said. The new record set is hardly stationary — experts said they expect even more sargassum for June. ____
Reuters
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Still hungry: Dalin back at the helm to defend IMOCA crown
May 9 (Reuters) - Charlie Dalin, fresh from rewriting the Vendee Globe record books, has set his sights on defending his IMOCA Globe Series title with the methodical precision that has become his trademark in offshore racing. The 40-year-old French skipper, who sliced nine days off the previous round-the-world record, approaches the 2025 season with characteristic understatement aboard MACIF Sante Prevoyance. "My objective this year? Well, it's to win races again," Dalin told IMOCA officials this week. "I'm still passionate as before and, you know, I love sailing IMOCAs." IMOCAs are 60-foot high-performance monohulls built for solo or short-handed offshore racing, known for balancing cutting-edge design - like hydrofoils and carbon fibre hulls - with the raw demands of long-distance endurance. Dalin will begin his 2025 campaign with June's Course des Caps, a 2,000-mile tactical challenge around Britain's demanding coastline, but has a special focus on October's Transat Cafe L'Or from Le Havre to Martinique, a race carrying personal significance. "It's an important race for me because I am from Le Havre and I couldn't race last time," said Dalin, who claimed victory there in 2019. "I have revenge to take on that event. I would quite like to win it a second time." The competitive landscape remains formidable. Dalin anticipates challenges from last year's runner-up Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkea, Thomas Ruyant paired with Ambrogio Beccaria, and veteran Jeremie Beyou aboard Charal. Adding intrigue is newcomer Elodie Bonafous commanding Horizon 29, a sistership to Dalin's vessel. "It will be interesting to sail against a sistership of MACIF Sante Prevoyance and see how she performs," he noted. While acknowledging the physical toll of his Vendee Globe campaign, Dalin expressed confidence in his recovery timeline, targeting full readiness by the season's start. Now firmly established as the sailor everyone aims to beat, Dalin embraces his position with philosophical ease. "I'd rather be in this situation than the reverse," he smiled. The IMOCA Globe Series is a tiered circuit of offshore yacht races, ranging from short coastal duels to gruelling round-the-world marathons. At the top are Grade 1 epics like the Vendee Globe and The Ocean Race, while Grade 2 includes transatlantic tests such as the Route du Rhum and Transat Jacques Vabre. Shorter Grade 3 and 4 events - like the Course des Caps, Defi Azimut and Rolex Fastnet - demand precision, stamina and tactical sharpness. Together, they form a global proving ground for the world's best offshore sailors. Dalin claimed the 2024 title with 800 points in a dominant French showing. Fellow countrymen Richomme and Sebastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) took second and third with 730 and 595 points respectively. Germany's Boris Herrmann broke the French hold, steering Malizia – Sea Explorer to fourth on 571 points. The 2025 series kicks off with the 2,000 nautical-mile Course des Caps on June 29, and with his Vendee victory still fresh and the sails of MACIF Sante Prevoyance trimmed for another season, Dalin is plotting another year at the front of the fleet.
CNA
09-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Sailing-Still hungry Dalin back to defend IMOCA crown
Charlie Dalin, fresh from rewriting the Vendee Globe record books, has set his sights on defending his IMOCA Globe Series title with the methodical precision that has become his trademark in offshore racing. The 40-year-old French skipper, who sliced nine days off the previous round-the-world record, approaches the 2025 season with characteristic understatement aboard MACIF Sante Prevoyance. "My objective this year? Well, it's to win races again," Dalin told IMOCA officials this week. "I'm still passionate as before and, you know, I love sailing IMOCAs." IMOCAs are 60-foot high-performance monohulls built for solo or short-handed offshore racing, known for balancing cutting-edge design - like hydrofoils and carbon fibre hulls - with the raw demands of long-distance endurance. Dalin will begin his 2025 campaign with June's Course des Caps, a 2,000-mile tactical challenge around Britain's demanding coastline, but has a special focus on October's Transat Cafe L'Or from Le Havre to Martinique, a race carrying personal significance. "It's an important race for me because I am from Le Havre and I couldn't race last time," said Dalin, who claimed victory there in 2019. "I have revenge to take on that event. I would quite like to win it a second time." The competitive landscape remains formidable. Dalin anticipates challenges from last year's runner-up Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkea, Thomas Ruyant paired with Ambrogio Beccaria, and veteran Jeremie Beyou aboard Charal. Adding intrigue is newcomer Elodie Bonafous commanding Horizon 29, a sistership to Dalin's vessel. "It will be interesting to sail against a sistership of MACIF Sante Prevoyance and see how she performs," he noted. While acknowledging the physical toll of his Vendee Globe campaign, Dalin expressed confidence in his recovery timeline, targeting full readiness by the season's start. Now firmly established as the sailor everyone aims to beat, Dalin embraces his position with philosophical ease. "I'd rather be in this situation than the reverse," he smiled. The IMOCA Globe Series is a tiered circuit of offshore yacht races, ranging from short coastal duels to gruelling round-the-world marathons. At the top are Grade 1 epics like the Vendee Globe and The Ocean Race, while Grade 2 includes transatlantic tests such as the Route du Rhum and Transat Jacques Vabre. Shorter Grade 3 and 4 events - like the Course des Caps, Defi Azimut and Rolex Fastnet - demand precision, stamina and tactical sharpness. Together, they form a global proving ground for the world's best offshore sailors. Dalin claimed the 2024 title with 800 points in a dominant French showing. Fellow countrymen Richomme and Sebastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) took second and third with 730 and 595 points respectively. Germany's Boris Herrmann broke the French hold, steering Malizia – Sea Explorer to fourth on 571 points. The 2025 series kicks off with the 2,000 nautical-mile Course des Caps on June 29, and with his Vendee victory still fresh and the sails of MACIF Sante Prevoyance trimmed for another season, Dalin is plotting another year at the front of the fleet.
