Sargassum seaweed

The Dominican Republic and Mexico have proposed a bilateral roundtable to address the environmental impact of sargassum seaweed, a type of algae that has been blooming in the Caribbean Sea.

Causes of the Sargassum Bloom

The dramatic increase in sargassum blooms over the past decade is fueled by:

• Nutrient pollution from sources like deforestation.
• Warmer ocean temperatures.
• Changes in sea currents that push the seaweed into the Caribbean.

Repurposing Challenges

While there are efforts to repurpose sargassum into products like biofuels, fertilizers, and bioplastics, several challenges remain:

• The high cost of removing toxins and heavy metals like arsenic.
• Limited funding for research and development.
• The unpredictable nature of the blooms, which makes consistent harvests difficult for investors.

The Sargasso Sea in the western Atlantic Ocean is named after this seaweed, where floating masses of Sargassum natans and S. fluitans are common.

(Source: TH)