Although scientists predicted that this year there would be a lot of algae on the beaches of the Caribbean coast of Mexico, in reality this did not happen. There were indeed algae, but from May their quantity began to decline rapidly. And now the beaches of Cancun and the Mayan Riviera are almost clean.
The arrival of Sargassum seaweed on Mexican beaches in the summer is now predicted to be minimal. Satellite images show that the amount of algae in the Atlantic Ocean remains enormous. The algae patch stretches for about 1,000 kilometers, but there is little algae between Jamaica and the Yucatan Peninsula. Winds and prevailing sea currents prevent the algae from approaching the Mexican coast, carrying it towards Florida. Similar natural trends will continue over the next three months.
Given this speed and distance, the forecaster says the next batch of seaweed is unlikely to arrive until after the summer holidays, and the amount of sargassum that does arrive will remain minimal.
However, Esteban Amaro, head of the Cancun environmental organization Red de Monitoreo del Sargazo, does not exclude the possibility that algae will not appear periodically. But their number will be minimal.
At the moment, some beaches in the Tulum area are still allowed to see accumulations of algae, but in most of the state of Quintana Roo the beaches are free of them. Of the 100 beaches across the Caribbean that the environmental network monitors daily, only 15 beaches have excessive amounts of algae, another 11 beaches have moderate amounts of algae, and the remaining beaches have virtually no algae. The algae that arrived on the beaches in previous months was removed by municipal workers long ago. Traditionally, due to their geography, the cleanest algae remains in Cancun and Isla Mujeres.
Actualización del Mapa y semáforo del#sargazoen las playas de#QuintanaRoopara hoy 28 de junio 2023.#ObservatorioCiudadanoSargazopic.twitter.com/sgM70cSHVl
— ACLUVAQ (@AcluvaqOficial)June 28, 2023
Let us remind you that since 2015, the arrival of algae on the beaches of the Caribbean coast of Mexico in some years has been an environmental disaster. The formation of algae occurs in the South Atlantic off the coast of Brazil and is likely associated with pollution of the world's oceans and an increase in its temperature. Sea currents carry the algae north toward the Gulf of Mexico, where they are able to appear in large quantities on beaches. To combat Sargassum algae, the Mexican government has deployed the Navy, whose ships collect algae at sea. Many kilometers of anti-algae barriers have been installed along the coast, which do not always show their effectiveness. On the shore, the algae is collected by utility and hotel workers.
According to the government of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, «record» The year 2022 was the year with the highest amount of algae, when 54,000 tons of algae were collected on Caribbean beaches.
Hotels and resorts in Mexico spend millions of dollars each year removing algae from their beaches, hiring workers to collect it and transport it to other locations. Not all beaches are equally polluted. It is always possible to find a clean beach, free of algae. It is impossible to predict the appearance of algae on a particular beach.