JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Waves of stinky seaweed washed ashore at Jacksonville Beach over the last several days, drawing plenty of reaction from beachgoers heading out for Memorial Day weekend.
The seaweed is called sargassum — and it’s washing up in droves along Florida’s east coast.
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“I think that it is a really bad smell, but once you pass it, it’s all good at the beach,” said Cat Nye, a beachgoer.
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Not everyone loved it. Dee Broom, who was at the beach with her dog Laney, put it simply.
“I don’t like it,” Broom said.
But she and her dog are dealing with it well and having a nice time.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sargassum is technically an algae. Free-floating sargassum has long been common off the U.S. eastern seaboard, where it plays a critical role in ocean ecosystems — providing food, shelter, nursery areas and breeding grounds for fish, sea turtles and birds.
But in recent years, the situation has changed dramatically. Since 2011, sargassum has been appearing in significantly greater abundance across the tropics, stretching from Africa to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America. The problem isn’t just visual. When sargassum decomposes on the beach, it releases hydrogen sulfide gas — a foul-smelling compound that reeks of rotten eggs — and attracts flies and other insects, creating an unpleasant experience for beachgoers.
To help track the issue, NOAA developed the Sargassum Inundation Risk (SIR) tool, which provides daily reports on sargassum location and inundation risk for coastal areas across the Caribbean, Florida, the Gulf of America and northern South America.
According to the SIR tracker, Northeast Florida is currently in the warning zone, while South and Central Florida are experiencing even higher concentrations along their coastlines.