Sargasso is a brown macroalga that recurringly causes ravages on the coast of the Caribbean. Although it is not harmful to health, its accumulation is for ecosystems. Apart, due to the large amount in which it accumulates on the beaches and the bad characteristic smell that gives off when decomposing, the sargasso is causing important economic losses in the tourism sector, in addition to supposing an obvious discomfort for the inhabitants of the coastal areas.
If you want to learn more about this problem, keep reading this post of ecology, because we tell you What is sargassum, where does it come from and what is it foramong other data.
What is sea sargassum
The term sargazo groups several species of brown or macroalgas aldas aldas Within the genre Sargassum. It includes several species such as Sargassum vulgare, Sargassum Filipendula either Sargassum cymosum. They are large and their structure is divided into the classic curls, stipes and sheets, analogous to the roots, stems and leaves of vascular plants. Some species have vesicles that contain gas and improve their flotation capacity.
Gender algae Sargassum They are distributed throughout tropical and temperate areas, and contribute significantly to Biomass of many coastal areas, offering food, substrate and protection to other marine plant and animal species. For example, wind turtles (CARETTA CARETTA) They use it as protection for their eggs to its hatching and several species of crustaceans and fish have been specifically adapted to take advantage of the resources it offers. Specifically, it plays an important role in the migration of some eels, such as the European eel (Anguilla Anguilla) or the American eel (Anguilla Rostrata), who travel specifically to the Sargazos Sea to deposit their eggs.
Sargasso has a great growth and reproduction capacity (You can double your biomass in less than three weeks), due, among other factors, to your reproduction capacity in a vegetative way, that is, without the need for organs with specific reproductive function.
Here you can read about the reproduction of algae.
Where does the sargass come from
The sargassum that reaches Caribbean beaches It comes mostly from the call Sargasso Sea. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean, near the Brazil coasts. The extension of the Sargazos Sea is variable, since it is defined by the amount of algae at that time and by the sea currents. It is delimited by the Gulf current, the North Atlantic current, the Canarian current and the current of the Equatorial North Atlantic.
As a curiosity, to say that society has always maintained a difficult relationship with the sea of sargazos. He has been named in different nautical texts since the fifteenth century, because it was a difficult navigation area. The great accumulation of algae, the practice absence of winds and confluent sea currents facilitated that the sailboats were stranded in their waters, with few probabilities of exit.
Today, the sargassum that dies loses its ability to anchor the substrate and the rest of the plants, and it is dragged by sea currents to the waters of the Caribbean seaamong others. When it arrives, the decomposition process, in which substances such as sulfates are released, causes its bad smell.
The phenomenon does not show a defined chronology; It can occur at any time. However, an updating trend has been observed both duration and intensity and frequency since 2013.
Areas most affected by sargasso and how it affects
These have been some of the most affected areas:
- Sargazo in the Riviera Maya: This area has suffered intense modifications due to sargassum, such as the installation of floating containment barriers and monitoring stations.
- Sargazo in Cancun: The hospitality staff of these regions have warned of up to 60% of economic losses due to this phenomenon.
- Sargazo in Playa del Carmen: In Playa del Carmen there are already hotels that have adapted to this recurring invasion, building pools that slow the entry of the detritus.
- Tulum sargassum: In this beach La Mancha de Sargazo has come to occupy up to 400 m2.
These examples are not exclusive to these beaches, but can be extrapolated to other affected coastal areas.
What is the sargass for and how to take advantage of it
We can transform a threat into an opportunity. In 2018, upon request from the Mexican government, a group of scientists from UNAM formed a permanent working group to try to provide solutions to this problem on the beaches of Quintana Roo. Efforts have been made in the collection of sargassum, for example with the installation of barriers, and in the monitoring of the phenomenon, both to give early warnings and to rule out possible problems in human health.
Finally, these and other scientists have proposed several opportunities for the Use of algae Sargassum or sargazo:
- Generate biomass: Biomass can be used as fuel or for the generation of biofuels, etc. Here you can learn about what biomass is and what is it for.
- Use as fertilizer: Sargasso has a high nitrogen content and other important nutrients, which can be used to fertilize fields if done properly.
- Extraction of important materials for the industry: Sargasso is especially rich in alginate, a polysaccharide that is usually used as a thickener in food and even cosmetics products.
Thus, managed effectively, we can reduce the impact and even benefit from this environmental discomfort.
Now that you know the algae called Sargazo and its effects, here you can learn more about the classification of algae.
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