Sargassum on Mexican Caribbean beaches is a serious and real threat, experts warn

The tourists looking for sun and beach in Mexican spas like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum they run in a lot of Sargbadum, a kelp foul odor which accumulates on the beaches and dyes its turquoise brown waters. Experts warn that this could be the new reality of the region.

The Riviera Maya coast, in the Mexican Caribbean, offers half of the income by tourism from the country and, until 2014, his ribs had barely reached the Sargbadum But a possible combination of climate change, pollution from the use of fertilizer and ocean currents and flows has been at the root of the problem.

Although it does not have the overall impact of the melting polar ice caps, the vast mbades of Sargbadum that populate the Caribbean could be one of the consequences of climate change more visible because of the high number of tourists visiting the popular beaches of the region, according to some officials.

"It's one of the the biggest challenges of the world consequence of climate change, "said the government of Quintana Roo, known for the large number of resorts he lodges on his coasts. This challenge requires the sum of multinational efforts and a global commitment to the effects of economic development on the environment ".

Although the number of travelers arrived at the Cancun airport in March increased by 3.3 percent compared to the same month of the previous year, many fear that this rhythm can not be maintained if the Sargbadum covers the white sand and turquoise waters of its beaches, as well as the impregnation of the air , because Decaying seaweed smells rotten egg. As it breaks down, it sinks, so could smother the famous Caribbean corals, and its accumulation on the beaches could prevent nesting of sea turtles.

"In my humble opinion, it's a disaster that will paralyze tourism and business and, unfortunately, that will destroy the local economy, "said Jef A. Gardner, regular tourist in Playa del Carmen of Knoxville, Tennessee. It's a problem on the east coast of the Caribbean that It goes from Cancun to Ambergis Cay in Belize. "

These concerns may not be an exaggeration: the presence of sargbade seems to have worsened in some parts of the Mexican coast compared to last year. In addition, the problem concerns almost all islands and mainland beaches in the Caribbean. The American coast of the Gulf of Mexico recorded an episode in 2014 and the Florida coast arrives this year.

The algae that flood the Caribbean have an unexpected origin: the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean beyond the mouth of the Amazon.

according to Chuanmin Hu, professor of oceanography at the Faculty of Marine Sciences at the University of South Florida, the proliferation of sargbade seems to be the result of the the nutrient flow and the outcrop, a phenomenon by which currents bring to the surface the nutrients that were in the depths. The prevailing ocean currents carry seaweed to the Caribbean, where they can grow further.

It is unlikely that the cycle will stop soon, added the expert.

"Due to global climate change, we may have increased the outcrop, air intake or nutrient sources of the rivers, so the three factors may have increased the increasing amounts of sargbadum, "explained Mr. Hu.

Although he stated that further research was needed to definitively link the phenomenon to human activity, he drew attention to "increase in fertilizer and the increase in deforestation "as possible culprits, at least as far as the Amazon is concerned.

It is likely that the increase in sea temperature plays a minor role since the tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean have always been hot.

Meanwhile, owners of luxury Mexican coastal hotels are desperate find solutions.

"What you need to do, is stop it before it reaches the beaches," said Adrián López, president of the federation of Quintana Roo entrepreneurs.

Floating plastic barriers can be anchored offshore to trap algae, but as López points out, some spas have shallow coral reefs and remote from the coast where this solution would not be worth it.

For his part, Hu warned that it would be a costly remedy: the tons of Sargbadum that accumulate behind gates, load them onto ships and remove them hundreds of daily trips.

Scientists have set up sargbadum monitoring systems that detect the amount of algae that they go to the Caribbean coastbut it is difficult to predict when and where they will arrive.

Extraction at sea endangered species They use the barriers as a hiding place for their young people. But removing algae with shovels or machines once they reach the beach, is also a herculean task that can put turtle nesting sites at risk.

Now, new ideas are emerging for reuse the algae collected on the coast, how to use them as an additive in brick making. But its use as a fertilizer or as animal feed is limited by the amount of chemicals it contains, such as salt, iodine and arsenic.

Tourists flock to the Mexican Caribbean coast to enjoy the sun on its white sand and dive into the turquoise waters. Although there is something else to do, like visiting cenotes, Mayan ruins and jungle, beaches are always The main attraction of the region. And it is unlikely that visitors will accept a brown sea full of seaweed.