Latest news with #Rugulopteryxokamurae
The Sun
23-04-2025
- The Sun
Brit hols hotspot beaches in Marbella facing emergency as they are SWAMPED by 2,500 tons of rotting stinking seaweed
TOP Brit holiday spots are battling an invasion of stinking seaweed that is swamping their beaches and threatening income. Shorelines along the Costa del Sol face an "environmental emergency" as officials race to clear the rotting mess before it puts off tourists. Marbella, often described as the "jewel in the crown" of the Spanish coast, has scooped up around 2,500 tonnes of algae sludge over the busy Easter period. Officials clear the beaches each day with heavy machinery, only for another thick layer to wash up. As the brown mush decays, it "generates bad odours and prevent bathing" - spoiling the beaches for tourists. The local council is furious, fuming that the situation is totally unacceptable. It said this year's Easter haul is more than the amount collected in the whole of 2024. Local councillor Diego Lopez said: "This figure that should set off all the alarms. What we are experiencing this year is unprecedented. It's an environmental emergency. "We cannot allow our beaches to lose their attractiveness because that has a direct impact on our economy." The worst of the mess washed up on beaches such as San Pedro Alcántara, Nueva Andalucía, Fontanilla, Venus, El Cable and Cabopino. But Marbella is not alone in this problem. Lopez insisted: "This situation affects the entire Andalusian coast and requires a coordinated response." Inside the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella The algae, called "Rugulopteryx okamurae", a dirty brown seaweed, is hated by holiday resorts because it ruins beaches with smelly piles of muck. It accumulates in huge, ugly piles on the shoreline and stops holidaymakers from enjoying the sand. Tourists have described it as "disgusting and smelly", often being forced to jump over piles of the stuff to reach the sea. Marbella council says it cannot battle the problem alone, and is calling for reinforcement from the Spanish government. Lopez slammed the "absolute lack of support from the central government [...] in the face of an environmental emergency that overflows municipal resources". The invasion is so bad that Marbella has introduced a daily cleaning programme. Around 20 tractors armed with large bucket scrapers zigzag the beaches from 3am to 10am, when they must leave for safety reasons. Lopez said: "The work is organised at dawn to minimise the inconvenience to users." He also commended the army of cleaners, who he said are all "giving 200 percent to face this situation". Once removed, the algae is laid out to dry so it is less heavy and easier to transport. The leftover mess is then transferred to the Costa del Sol Environmental Complex in Malaga. The council pays a fee of €43 per ton for its treatment as vegetable waste, which "makes management even more expensive". Lopez said the huge effort the council expends to keep the beaches clean proves its commitment to "environmental quality and to the tourist image of the municipality". What is Rugulopteryx okamurae? RUGULOPTERYX Okamurae is a type of brown algae that originates from the Pacific Ocean. Previously, it only existed in northwest Pacific waters, but it has now spread to the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic, where it is an invasive species. The plant bobs just beneath the surface of the sea, usually between 0.5 and 5 metres underwater. In very clear water where sunlight can penetrate further, it may be found up to 15 metres below the surface. The algae grows on hard surfaces, such as rocks in shallow waters, but then detaches and floats off. A single plant can spawn hundreds more, leading to huge buildups of the plant matter. In the waters the algae has invaded, it can cause major problems for biodiversity by forcing out native species and blocking sunlight for other marine plants.
The Irish Sun
23-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
Brit hols hotspot beaches in Marbella facing emergency as they are SWAMPED by 2,500 tons of rotting stinking seaweed
TOP Brit holiday spots are battling an invasion of stinking seaweed that is swamping their beaches and threatening income. Shorelines along the Costa del Sol face an "environmental emergency" as officials race to clear the 4 A thick layer of stinking seaweed builds up on Marbella's beach every day and must be cleared Credit: Marbella Council 4 The smelly sludge ruins the usually-pristine beaches of the holiday hotspot Credit: Getty Officials clear the beaches each day with heavy machinery, only for another thick layer to wash up. As the The local council is furious, fuming that the situation is totally unacceptable. read more in world news It said this year's Easter haul is more than the amount collected in the whole of 2024. Local councillor Diego Lopez said: "This figure that should set off all the alarms. What we are experiencing this year is unprecedented. It's an environmental emergency. "We cannot allow our The worst of the mess washed up on beaches such as San Pedro Alcántara, Nueva Andalucía, Fontanilla, Venus, El Cable and Cabopino. Most read in The Sun But Lopez insisted: "This situation affects the entire Andalusian coast and requires a coordinated response." Inside the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella The It accumulates in huge, ugly piles on the shoreline and stops holidaymakers from enjoying the sand. Tourists have described it as "disgusting and smelly", often being forced to jump over piles of the stuff to reach the sea. Marbella council says it cannot battle the problem alone, and is calling for reinforcement from the Spanish government. Lopez slammed the "absolute lack of support from the central government [...] in the face of an environmental emergency that overflows municipal resources". The invasion is so bad that Marbella has introduced a daily cleaning programme. 4 Local councillors fear the algae invasion will threaten Marbella's tourism industry Credit: Getty 4 Authorities removed more algae from Marbella's beaches in the Easter period than the whole of 2024 Credit: Getty Around 20 tractors armed with large bucket scrapers zigzag the beaches from 3am to 10am, when they must leave for safety reasons. Lopez said: "The work is organised at dawn to minimise the inconvenience to users." He also commended the army of cleaners, who he said are all "giving 200 percent to face this situation". Once removed, the algae is laid out to dry so it is less heavy and easier to transport. The leftover mess is then transferred to the Costa del Sol Environmental Complex in Malaga. The council pays a fee of €43 per ton for its treatment as vegetable waste, which "makes management even more expensive". Lopez said the huge effort the council expends to keep the beaches clean proves its commitment to "environmental quality and to the tourist image of the municipality". What is Rugulopteryx okamurae? RUGULOPTERYX Okamurae is a type of brown algae that originates from the Pacific Ocean. Previously, it only existed in northwest Pacific waters, but it has now spread to the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic, where it is an invasive species. The plant bobs just beneath the surface of the sea, usually between 0.5 and 5 metres underwater. In very clear water where sunlight can penetrate further, it may be found up to 15 metres below the surface. The algae grows on hard surfaces, such as rocks in shallow waters, but then detaches and floats off. A single plant can spawn hundreds more, leading to huge buildups of the plant matter. In the waters the algae has invaded, it can cause major problems for biodiversity by forcing out native species and blocking sunlight for other marine plants.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Soccer Club Strikes Back At Climate Crisis With Algae-Powered Uniform
Spanish top-flight soccer club Real Betis Balompié has launched a new uniform made from an unexpected material ― the invasive algae, Rugulopteryx okamurae, that, due to climate change, is posing an increasing threat to the ecosystem of the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. The Seville-based La Liga team, currently mid-table, unveiled its uniform (including recycled ocean plastics) last week in the southern Spanish coastal town of Tarifa, whose coastline has been hit by the ecological invader, according to the club. Divers symbolically retrieved the message-sending jerseysfrom the seabed ahead of their presentation. Betis players will wear the uniform for Sunday's clash with Real Sociedad. 'The presence of invasive algae on our coasts is destroying our ecosystem,' the club wrote on Instagram. 'To confront them, the first kit made with fibers created from these algae was born.' The brown algae are native to the North Pacific Ocean and arrived off Spain's coast circa 2015, most likely 'through the ballast waters of merchant ships,' marine biologist Candela Sánchez Atienzar told the AFP news agency. 'When it arrived it started to spread out of control, there's no invasion in the history of science described on this scale,' Sánchez recalled. Climate change has seen algae proliferate off Spain's coast in recent years, and there are no signs of slowing down as the Mediterranean Sea's surface temperature soars to record highs each summer. Spain is frequently referred to as 'ground zero' of the climate crisis in Europe, with hotter summer heatwaves and devastating storms. Removing the algae is an expensive process that now costs the southern Spanish coastal town of Estepona alone more than $1 million per year, reported El País newspaper. Tarifa itself, meanwhile, is seeking to turn the algae into electricity and sustainable fertilizer using an experimental bioreactor. Soccer Team's 'Skinned Alive' Uniform Could Be The Goriest Ever Top Climate Scientist Sums Up Second Trump Term With 2 Chilling Words Teen Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Honored With Stunning Street Art Mural
