The beaches of the Caribbean coast of Mexico are again suffering from an invasion of Sargassum algae. There is already quite a lot of algae on some beaches, they are constantly arriving, and everything suggests that this year will be no less difficult than previous ones. According to monitoring data from the environmental organization Red de Monitoreo del Sargazo Cancún, out of 80 beaches in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, only 15 have no algae at all. On 16 beaches there is algae, but not enough, 23 beaches — in moderation. There is a lot of algae on 21 beaches and there is too much — on 5 beaches. The most polluted beaches are located on the northeastern tip of Cozumel, in the Playa del Carmen resort area and in Punta Nizuc in Cancun.
The amount of algae continues to increase seasonally. Steady east and southeast winds drive the algae to the Mexican coast from the Antilles region, where they accumulate in huge quantities. Algae arrivals will likely peak during the summer months, with numbers beginning to decline in August. By mid-autumn, Mexican beaches have the opportunity to become completely clean again. Experts believe that the amount of algae on Mexico's beaches in 2021 will be similar to that in 2018, in other words, a lot, but less than the «record» 2019. Last year, during the peak algae season, Mexico's beaches were closed for quarantine, so the issue of beach cleanliness was not so pressing.
So far, public utilities are coping with cleaning most beaches. On some beaches, travelers choose accessible islands of clean sand and settle there. But there are also beaches where you can’t even go into the water because of algae.
En la actualización de Red de Monitoreo del#Sargazo#Cancúnvemos que la zona sur de#QuintanaRoosigue siendo la más afectada y ahora con ciertos puntos de color rojo, el cual indica el nivel máximo en la llegada de esta macroalga.pic.twitter.com/aAMKSg5WDd
— ACLUVAQ (@AcluvaqOficial)May 5, 2021
Hoteliers complain that in 5 years Mexico has failed to develop a government strategy to combat algae as a natural disaster. The Navy is responsible for keeping algae out of the sea. His ships and 12 special sargasser boats collect algae in the water and transport it away from the shore. However, the installed anti-algae barriers showed low efficiency. Recent strong waves off the coast of Playa del Carmen have torn down barriers, leaving local beaches particularly heavily polluted.
The main burden of cleaning beaches falls on hotels. They are forced to increase their staff and collect seaweed from the beaches several times a day. At the same time, on many beaches the use of heavy equipment is prohibited; therefore, algae is collected manually with shovels and rakes, loaded into wheelbarrows and removed from the beaches. Crews work from 6 a.m. until almost sunset.
Excessive amounts of algae on beaches are not considered harmful to the health of holidaymakers. But algae can rot, producing an unpleasant odor, turning the water brown and polluting the environment. Algae negatively affects marine flora and fauna. Observing rotting algae on the beaches does not bring any pleasure, and their presence greatly spoils the travel appeal of Caribbean resorts.
Let us remind you that since 2015, excessive presence of algae has been observed on the beaches of Cancun and the Riviera Maya every year. In 2018-2019, algae became a real natural disaster, threatening regional tourism. The Mexican government allocated considerable funds to combat algae, and the Navy was appointed responsible for collecting algae at sea. Algae barriers have been placed along many beaches along the Caribbean coast, and municipal beach cleanup staff have been significantly increased. The Navy says it has collected 105,000 tons of seaweed from beaches since 2019 and hundreds of thousands of tons — in the sea.
Scientists believe that the abnormal development of sargassum algae in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico over the past decade is associated with rising ocean temperatures caused by global warming, as well as pollution of the South Atlantic waters with products such as mineral fertilizers and industrial waste.