Massive seaweed swarm heading for Florida beaches

PORT CANAVERAL, Florida (WSVN) — A stinky situation is brewing off the coast of Florida. Researchers are tracking record numbers of stinky algae piling up in the Atlantic and say the problem is expected to become serious over the summer.

The scene last July at Jetty Park was littered with brown stink algae.

“It stinks. As it starts to decompose, it releases hydrogen sulfide,” said Brian Barnes, assistant research professor.

This is bad for beach lovers and can be bad for the environment.

People here hope they don’t run into this this year.

I also hope to avoid it,” said a visitor to the beach. “That was our place to surf.”

“I’m sensitive to smells, so this probably isn’t for me, especially since this is my first time in Florida,” said a beach goer.

Throughout the year, algae made their way across the ocean.

“We’re really looking at the biggest, possibly the biggest event we’ve ever seen,” Barnes said.

Barnes, a USF researcher, said the spot has doubled in size in the past couple of months.

He and his team are looking into possible causes of the increase, such as changes in the environment and water circulation patterns. They are also working to more accurately predict where it will end.

“Looking at the trends, we can assume that this is going to be a record year,” Barnes said. “It’s almost a question of how big the record will be.”

The researchers said there have already been reports of algae washing up in the Florida Keys.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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