--- title: "Huge Blobs Headed Toward Florida" description: "PSA for anyone planning a trip to Florida: massive, smelly globs of seaweed and algae calle Sargassum are currently headed toward the state's shores." date: "2023-04-22" modified: "2023-04-22" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/huge-blobs-florida" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "florida" - "ocean" - "seaweed" - "the digest" --- # Huge Blobs Headed Toward Florida ![PSA for anyone planning a trip to Florida: massive, smelly globs of seaweed and algae calle Sargassum are currently headed toward the state's shores.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Stephen Frink\* ## Blob Dole PSA for anyone planning a trip to Florida: massive, smelly globs of seaweed and algae are currently headed toward the state's Eastern and Gulf Coast shores. It's called Sargassum, and [per *The New York Times*](), it's not playing around. When Sargassum mats eventually wash ashore and start to decompose, they emit ammonia and hydrogen sulfide — a chemical combination that not only smells like foul rotten eggs, but can also irritate your eyes, nose, and throat. It's not as bad as toxic algae blooms, but it still sounds wildly unpleasant. "I was amazed at what I saw driving along the Overseas Highway," Brian Lapointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University who has studied Sargassum for most of his career, told *The New York Times.* (The Overseas Highway is the main road that runs through the Florida Keys.) ## Extremely Large To Lapointe's observation: while Sargassum has been around for centuries, the *NYT* noted that scientists have since 2011 been seeing an uptick in the odious masses' annual accumulations — in part the result of nutrient-rich agricultural runoff from the Congo, the Amazon and the Mississippi rivers. And this month, the rotten egg-smelling blobs are reportedly record-setting, with an estimated 13.5 million tons accumulating in The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt as of March. For a bit more context, the mass checks in at an astonishing 5,000 miles wide. Per the *NYT*, it's believed to be the largest bloom in history. ## Pros and Cons For all its smelly downsides, Sargassum does actually offer some benefits to marine life, providing a number of marine species — fish, crabs, and some endangered sea turtles, according to the *NYT* — with shelter and breeding ground. For that reason, it's illegal to harvest before it reaches shore. At the same time, too much decomposing Sargassum can cause serious damage to critical near-shore ecosystems. "You're essentially dumping continent-worths of nutrients in an ecosystem that is used to having very little of them," Francis Chan, director of the Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies at Oregon State University, [told *The Washington Post*]() last month. "It's the same as throwing a ton of mass into a large pool versus doing so inside a water bottle." In other words, humans should probably still reign it in with the fertilizers, should we want our throats to stay itch-free and our near-shore corals, mangroves, and seagrass beds to stay healthy. **More on curious ocean sights:** [*Scientists Dye Chunks of Ocean Water Pink for Head-turning Coastal Experiment*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()