Smelly sargassum inundates Florida beaches. These states could be next

(NEXSTAR) – The seaweed invasion is underway. Clumps and mats of sargassum have exploded in volume, now amounting to a near-record 29 million metric tons of the seaweed.

Most of that sargassum is floating in the ocean, but huge blobs have made their way to shore, washing up and rotting on Atlantic and Gulf beaches. Since the start of June, more of the stinky stuff has started to pile up on basically all sides of Florida, from the eastern coast down to Miami and the Keys and all the way up to Perdido Key in northwest Florida.

The University of South Florida, whose Optical Oceanography Lab tracks sargassum growth year-round, expects the seaweed to grow even more abundant by the end of the month.

“Beaching events around the Caribbean and southeast coast of Florida will continue and likely increase,” the researchers predict.

They predict the next victims........

© The Hill