The invasion of Sargassum threatens to be the new reality of the Mexican Caribbean

MEXICO.- Tourists looking for the sun and the beach in the spas of

Mexico

Like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum have encountered a lot of smelly sargbadum, a seaweed that accumulates on the beaches and dyes the turquoise color of its brown waters. And experts warn that this could be the new reality of the region.

The coast of the Riviera Maya, in the Mexican Caribbean, provides half of the country's tourism revenue and, until 2014, Sargbadum had barely reached its shores. But a possible combination of climate change, pollution from the use of fertilizer and ocean currents and flows that carry algae to the region has been the trigger for the problem.

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

"This is one of the biggest challenges the world faces as a result of climate change," said the state government of Quintana Roo, known for the large number of resorts on its shores. "This challenge requires the combination of multinational efforts and a global commitment to cope with the effects of economic development on the environment."

Although the number of travelers arriving at the Cancun airport in March increased by 3.3% compared to the same month of the previous year, many fear that this pace can not be maintained if sargbado covers the white sand and turquoise waters of its beaches. in addition to permeating the air, as the decomposing seaweed has a rotten egg odor. As it decomposes, it sinks in the smothering of the famous Caribbean corals and their accumulation on the beaches could hinder the nesting of sea turtles.

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

These concerns may not be a hyperbole: the presence of Sargbadum seems to be worsening 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.

Cycle

According to Chuanmin Hu, a professor of oceanography at the University of South Florida's School of Marine Sciences, the proliferation of sargbadum appears to be the result of increased nutrient flow and outcrop, a phenomenon that attracts currents. surface these 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 upwellings, atmospheric deposition, or nutrient sources in rivers, so the three factors may have led to increased Sargbadum growing, "Hu said.

Although he stated that it was necessary to continue research to definitely badociate the phenomenon with human activity, he highlighted the evidence of a "greater increase in fertilizer and "increased deforestation" as possible culprits, at least as far as the Amazon is concerned.

It is likely that the rise in sea temperature plays a minor role as the region – the tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean – has always been hot.

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

"What you need to do is stop before arriving on the beaches," said Adrián López, president of Quintana Roo's Federation of Entrepreneurs.

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

For his part, Hu warned that it would be a costly remedy: he would have to collect the tons of Sargbadum that accumulate behind the gates, load them on ships and remove them every day.

Scientists have implemented sargbadum monitoring systems that detect the amount of algae that travels to the Caribbean coast, but it is difficult to predict when and where they will arrive.

Extraction at sea endangers species that use gates as hiding places for their young. But eliminating algae with shovels or machines once on the beach is also a herculean task that can jeopardize turtle nesting sites.

"You can clean the beach, clean it, start cleaning at six in the morning and at eleven at noon, and at seven in the evening, before it gets dark, it's full again" added López. .

All this misses the time before 2014, when Sargbadum was "very small, very manageable, it was not a plague, it was not even a risk" on the beach.

New ideas are emerging to reuse the algae collected on the coast and to use them as additives 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 are other things to do, such as visiting cenotes, Mayan ruins and jungle, the beaches remain the main attraction of the region. And it is unlikely that visitors will accept a brown sea full of seaweed.

The owners of hotels and those who work in the tourism sector – which is sort of the whole world in Quintana Roo – are abandoned by the federal government, which is planning the construction of a railway linking the coast to Mayan ruins. inside.

"With Sargbadum, there is no Mayan train," says a slogan launched by local businessmen.

AP Agency