Latest news with #seaweed
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
A mystery wave of seaweed is causing a stink in the Caribbean
A record amount of sargassum seaweed amassed across the Caribbean and surrounding areas in May, with more expected this month, according to a recent report. The brown algae is blanketing shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife, and emitting toxic gases. One school in Martinique was temporarily closed due to the fumes. The volume of seaweed—38 million metric tons—is the largest quantity observed in the Caribbean Sea, the western and eastern Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico since scientists began monitoring the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011. Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida and contributor to the report published by the university's Optical Oceanography Lab, confirmed the findings on Monday. The previous record was set in June 2022, with approximately 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.
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Seaweed farming can support Oman's blue economy, climate goals
MUSCAT: Oman's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources is supporting a private-led initiative to explore the feasibility of large-scale seaweed cultivation, aimed at driving the growth of various economic activities related to climate mitigation, sustainable fuels, food security and biodiversity enhancement. Leading the initiative is NTZ Solutions, a local Omani firm focused on delivering innovative solutions in carbon capture, waste management and sustainability — centric human capital development. The company is credited with establishing the GCC's first commercial-scale biochar production facility, currently operational in Barka. With funding support from MedcoEnergi — an Indonesian state-owned energy and natural resources development enterprise — work has commenced on a pilot project designed to assess the overall feasibility and scope of large-scale seaweed cultivation in Oman. Speaking at an energy forum held in Muscat earlier in May, representatives of NTZ Solutions and MedcoEnergi shared insights on seaweed cultivation as an 'innovative nature-based solution' to some of the most urgent global challenges. 'We never imagined seaweed could become a solution to the global crises we're currently facing,' said Johan Despurwantoro, Sustainability and Risk Management Specialist at MedcoEnergi. 'But the question is — why should we return to nature? Because nature-based solutions are not just environmentally relevant but also economically powerful.' According to Despurwantoro, seaweed can contribute to poverty reduction, improve food security and serve as a nutritious food alternative. It can offset carbon emissions by replacing synthetic inputs, enhance ecosystem resilience and directly sequester carbon. Seaweed cultivation, he added, has the potential to unlock an extended value chain — from cultivation and logistics to industrial processing — creating significant employment opportunities at both local and regional levels. At the same time, it can advance Oman's progress on several UN Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Notably, a six-month pilot project was recently launched by the two partners in collaboration with the Ministry to assess the year-round viability of seaweed cultivation in Oman's coastal waters, Despurwantoro stated. A team of experts from NTZ Solutions and MedcoEnergi is currently evaluating the consistency of cultivation and identifying ideal conditions for selected native species. A key member of the team is Kamaruddin Azis, Project Facilitator at the COMMIT Foundation. In an update on the pilot, Kawther al Harrasi, Programme Manager at NTZ Solutions, revealed that the company has secured a pilot site within the Ministry's research facility at Bandar Al Rowdha in Muscat. Of the 12 native seaweed species initially studied, six — Ulva, Codium, Sargassum, Kerva, Hypnea and Gracilaria — were selected for their commercial value. These species are already utilised globally in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and agriculture industries, she explained. In the next phase of the project, the focus will shift to scaling up production to support the development of high-value products such as agar, carrageenan, bioplastics and pharmaceutical ingredients. Kawther noted that seaweed can also play a major role in carbon sequestration. In her presentation, she further emphasised the significant knock-on effects of seaweed cultivation for Oman's blue economy growth strategy. Beyond the direct economic benefits, seaweed farming can contribute to job creation, in-country value generation and biodiversity enhancement, she added.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Seaweed: A Love Story
environment media 1:35 pm today There's a new short documentary that takes a deep dive underwater in Wellington. Seaweed: A Love Story follows Dr Nicole Miller scuba diving in the city's harbour highlighting both the beauty and underwater plight of its underwater forests.
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
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? What is a sargassum bloom? 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. What's causing the historic increase? 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. Why do we care about them? 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.
Fast Company
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Why this startup is mining seaweed to power EVs
On farms off the coast of Alaska and in Mexico, a company called Blue Evolution grows seaweed used in food and skincare products. But five years ago, while studying the potential for seaweed to be used in bioenergy, the company discovered something else: The algae also contains critical minerals. The research, conducted with Pacific Northwest National Labs, identified the presence of scandium, an expensive rare earth element that's produced in tiny volumes globally. The seaweed also contains other rare earth elements and platinum group metals that can be used to make products ranging from EV batteries to motors for wind turbines. 'That generated a lot of excitement,' says Beau Perry, CEO of Blue Evolution. 'Everyone was like, 'Can you mine with seaweed?'' The company undertook more research into the area, and today it launched a new initiative, Orca Minerals, that's focused on the new form of mining. Instead of blasting rocks or the seabed, the process makes use of the fact that seaweed naturally absorbs minerals from seawater as it grows. At its lab in San Jose, the company is analyzing samples of seaweed that it grows in seawater tanks on the Mexican coast and in the ocean in Alaska. With the right location, and the right strain of seaweed, Perry says, it's possible to harvest meaningful amounts of certain minerals. The team identifies and selectively breeds seaweed strains, and is currently analyzing one of those proprietary strains. 'We're starting to select the characteristics that should yield more, with faster growth, but also more solid content and more mineral content,' Perry says. The content of critical minerals like cobalt or palladium is small, but that's also true in traditional mining. 'When you're mining rare earths, it's just mostly wasted material. You need a huge amount of rock,' he says. 'Rare earth elements are not that much more concentrated in those deposits than in some of the seaweed samples we've seen.' Some other startups are working on processes to extract minerals from land using plants, like a company called Metalplant that's mining nickel with crops grown in Albania. Seaweed has some advantages: It grows much more quickly and can concentrate minerals at a higher proportion, so the yield can be greater. And while there's a fixed stock of minerals in soil, currents in the ocean continually replenish supply. The rest of the seaweed also has value—as nutrients, pigments, or carbon that can be used to make seaweed-based textiles, plastic, and other materials; critical minerals are a side benefit. As the biomaterials market grows, that would simultaneously mean more potential to displace traditional mining on land. If the company grows seven-figure tons of dry seaweed in Alaska to meet demand for biomaterials, for example, Perry says it could also produce enough scandium to be a major player in the global market. (For some other minerals and elements that are produced at bigger scales, it would contribute a much smaller percentage.) Mining from seaweed, rather than rocks, could help avoid some of the environmental impact of getting components that are necessary in things like electronics and EV batteries. Traditional mining destroys wildlife habitats; pollutes water, soil, and the air; uses large amounts of energy; and creates piles of waste. The Trump administration also wants to fast-track deep-sea mining—extracting minerals from the ocean floor—something scientists say could cause irreparable harm to marine ecosystems. Growing and harvesting seaweed doesn't cause those problems. Refining minerals from seaweed also takes less energy and is a cleaner process than traditional refining, Perry says. The company is working on its own green-chemistry-based extraction techniques that could potentially bypass the need to use a secondary refinery. The work is still in progress, and the company wants to ensure it can predictably harvest a certain volume of critical minerals from its seaweed. But it expects to have an operational prototype by 2027. Commercial production could begin in 2028.
