Florida's About to Get a Lot More Stinky!

Tuckerfan · Mar 15, 2023

Fifty years ago, a documentary warned us this could happen.

Sargasso seaweed to consume Florida (we hope).

Smelly seaweed spanning 5,000 miles poses menace to Florida beaches

Stretching from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is a massive brown pile of seaweed - estimated to be weighing approximately 20 million tons - and is the largest seaweed bloom in the world. It is also visible from space.

Called the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, this giant carpet of seaweed is primarily harmless - it is known to provide a habitat for fish and absorb carbon dioxide from the ocean. And while this massive bloom of algae makes an annual appearance in the Caribbean sea, this year, however, alarm bells are going off as it threatens the tourism and infrastructure industry as the ocean tides push it closer and closer to the land.

It’s not a new phenomenon
Sargassum has been making an appearance every summer since 2011. The seaweed originated from the tropical Atlantic and is believed to result from climate variability and other natural and unnatural processes.

University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Laboratory (OOL) monthly tracks Sargassum via satellites and makes those observations available on the last day of each month. They have been doing it since 2018.

The team at OOL says that the Sargassum abundance in the Central Atlantic decreased overall from January to February this year, but substantial quantities continued accumulating in the Caribbean Sea. In March 2023, it is expected that Sargassum will increase in abundance in both the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Millions of dollars of trouble for the tourism industry
The tourism industry spends millions of dollars to clean the algae washing up on beaches, which is an eyesore for tourists. These resort-packed beaches - Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum - all in Mexico are part of the country’s $100 billion tourism industry. For tourists, the amount and stench of the substance have deterred them from returning to Mexico in recent years.

Brian LaPointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, told NBC News that huge piles of seaweed usually appear in South Florida in May. Still, beaches in Key West are already being inundated with algae. Parts of Mexico are preparing for up to 3 feet of sargassum buildup in the coming days.

As the Sargassum belt edges closer to land, it can choke corals, wreak havoc on coastal ecosystems and diminish water and air quality as it rots, as reported by Sky News.
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Bickendan · Mar 15, 2023

I blame DeSantis.

shootER · Mar 15, 2023

Nova · Mar 15, 2023

Bickendan said: ↑

I blame DeSantis.
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It's god's punishment for re-electing him.

MikeH92467 · Mar 16, 2023

Something, something woke, something…

Bailey · Mar 16, 2023

Sounds like a good material to harvest, compost, and add to farming areas.

MikeH92467 · Mar 16, 2023

Bailey said: ↑

Sounds like a good material to harvest, compost, and add to farming areas.
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That would be sustainable. The “s” in ESG and we all know how bad that is

Tuckerfan · Jun 4, 2023

Bailey said: ↑

Sounds like a good material to harvest, compost, and add to farming areas.
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Especially if you’re a fan of plastic and flesh eating bacteria.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/03/sargassum-seaweed-algae-florida-bacteria-vibrio

T.R · Jun 4, 2023

Speaking of USF

USF joins Ivy Leagues as a new member of the AAU

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa can count itself among areas with elite research universities since the University of South Florida became a new member of the Association of American Universities Thursday joining the likes of Ivy Leagues across the country.

University leaders said the recognition gives them a seat at the table to shape policy, and that matters when reputation is everything in education

"It’s a milestone because the AAU is really the organization that represents universities that are at the pinnacle of academic excellence," said USF President Rhea Law.

The AAU is a prestigious invitation-only group of elite research universities throughout the U.S., and USF is the first public university in Florida to be recognized in nearly 40 years.

"That means that people will be drawn to the university. So, we will attract more students, more faculty, more entrepreneurs that are interested in coming here to work with the University of South Florida," explained Law.

The membership distinction also adds to the local economy and Tampa Bay’s workforce pipeline. Researcher and professor Norma Alcantar said she already sees the fruits of her classes on chemical engineering.

"Chemical engineering has a lot to do with processing and creating new things. Tampa has become part of the medical device system, and chemical engineers are just hired to work here," said Alcantar, a professor chemical engineering. "Now the state also has the fertilizer industry, and it’s the pillar of the community and most of our chemical engineers work there as well."

Professors said AAU membership opens doors and plants seeds for Tampa Bay and Florida’s future.

Richard Manning said he’s been teaching at USF for 15 years

"It has always been ambitious, and it’s wonderful to see the crowning ambition achieved at this stage. I think we’re all pretty much surprised that we got to AAU status this quickly," shared Manning, an associate professor of philosophy.

Manning said the honor is proof of USF’s faculty thriving even with less hiring, and now USF’s reputation of research excellence cannot be ignored.

"I personally am hoping that the credit for that goes to the right people," said Manning. "It’s the faculty and the administration that’s been in place here for 15 or 16 years with this project in mind and have managed to pull it off and credit goes to them."

AAU membership also looks at graduation rates and the number of students who receive Pell grants.
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NeonMosfet · Jun 4, 2023

Don’t smell anything but deSantis‘ campagne.

Tererune · Jun 4, 2023

I just learned that the seaweed is all ripe with dayton kitchens foot rotting flesh eating bacteria.

This is how you get a fucking floriduh man zombie apocalypse.

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Florida's About to Get a Lot More Stinky!

Tuckerfan BMF

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shootER Insubordinate...and churlish Administrator

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MikeH92467 RadioNinja

Tuckerfan BMF

T.R Don't Care

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Florida's About to Get a Lot More Stinky!

Tuckerfan BMF

Bickendan Custom Title Administrator Faceless Mook Writer

shootER Insubordinate...and churlish Administrator

Nova livin on the edge of the ledge Writer

MikeH92467 RadioNinja

Bailey It's always Christmas Eve Super Moderator

MikeH92467 RadioNinja

Tuckerfan BMF

T.R Don't Care

NeonMosfet Probably a Dual

Tererune Troll princess and Magical Girl

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