In Korea, It's a Beloved Side Dish... But Miami Spends $4.1 Million to Remove 9,000 Tons from Its Beaches

Massive Sargassum Influx on Miami Beaches
Record 9,000 Tons Collected in July Alone
"Climate Crisis and Rising Sea Temperatures Increase Nutrient Levels"

The beaches of Miami, Florida, in the United States are being buried under masses of Sargassum seaweed.

On the 21st (local time), seaweed covered the beach at Hollywood, Florida, USA. Photo by AP News Agency

According to the British daily The Guardian on August 18 (local time), the influx of floating brown algae Sargassum along South Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean has reached levels that authorities are finding difficult to manage. In July alone, Miami-Dade County collected 9,000 tons of Sargassum from a 27-kilometer stretch of local beaches, marking an all-time monthly record.

According to The Guardian, the work crews begin their day around 7 a.m. by taking photos of Sargassum piled up on the beach. Next, around a dozen tractors and special cleaning vehicles enter to mix the seaweed into the sand or to rake it up and remove it. Chris Bumpus, Director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Conservation, said, "In July, there was only about one hour a day when you could see a clean beach. July is always the worst, but this year has been particularly challenging."

The fact that it is sea turtle nesting season adds another variable, as this restricts both the work zones and work hours. Under the terms of the state Department of Environmental Protection's permit, crews must park their heavy equipment from 30 minutes before sunset until sunrise, and before bringing in equipment, they must mark every newly formed nest to avoid trampling those buried in the sand. During this year's nesting season alone, about 700 nests were formed on county beaches.

The annual budget allocated by Miami-Dade County for Sargassum management is $3 million (approximately 4.1 billion won), which is the largest among all local governments in Florida. The funds come from a tourism development tax paid by guests staying at hotels and short-term rentals.

Sargassum is originally a species of seaweed that has been growing for centuries in the Sargasso Sea, surrounded by North Atlantic currents. The point when its flow changed was in 2011. Since the first observation of the "Atlantic Sargassum Belt" stretching from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, the total amount of Sargassum has doubled about every five years. Satellite observations this summer estimated the biomass within the belt at around 33.5 million tons, making it the second largest after last year's record high of about 38 million tons.

Mexican workers removing seaweed AP Yonhap News

Professor Brian Lapointe of Florida Atlantic University pointed to the climate crisis as a background factor. Lapointe, who has researched Sargassum since 1982, explained, "As sea surface temperatures rise, evaporation increases, leading to extreme rainfall that washes nutrients from land into the ocean." The nitrogen and phosphorus carried by the Amazon, Congo, and Mississippi Rivers provide food for Sargassum.

While Sargassum acts as a habitat for marine life out in the open sea, things change once it reaches the coast. Professor Lapointe explained, "Excessive amounts of Sargassum are impacting coral reefs and seagrass beds and are creating 'dead zones' by depleting oxygen in the water. The hydrogen sulfide that produces the smell of rotten eggs is also being emitted, which poses a health risk to humans as well."

Professor Lapointe described this year's situation in South Florida as "a year when the game changed." He added, "People are beginning to realize that this is not going away. It's getting worse and has become the new normal. We need to study the terrestrial nutrient sources we can address, not just treat the symptoms."

On the 30th of last month (local time), the sea near the coast of Tulum, Mexico, was covered with seaweed. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Some neighboring countries have moved more quickly. Previously, President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico announced a $115 million (about 15.9 billion won) national initiative and decided to deploy vessels to collect Sargassum at sea. In contrast, U.S. federal and state governments prohibit the removal of floating Sargassum offshore, citing the presence of marine life it harbors. Professor Lapointe, referencing research that shows the number of marine organisms in Sargassum sharply declines as it approaches the shore, suggested that "government regulations could eventually change."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.