Sargassum Season in Mexico’s Caribbean officially began the last week in March. More than two months later, It started to pollute Quintana Roo beaches in 2023.
Local vendors have reported, that by January 2023 the beaches of Playa del Carmen and Tulum in Cancun, as well as Cancun, will be covered with tons of this seaweed.
This year, spring breakers could still find some of the best beaches on the planet that are completely free of sargassum.
Tourists and locals have been left wondering if this is a sign of a steady reduction in sargassum for the next few months or years.
Experts say that the arrival of sargassum on the Mexican Caribbean coasts was caused by both environmental and human factors. These include but are not limited to increased water temperatures, poor ocean currents, high winds, and an excess amount of nutrients dumped into the waters by agriculture.
‘s top experts say that despite Easter being relatively peaceful, the problem has not gone away.
Despite the fact that towns like Tulum are bracing themselves for an insane amount of sargassum to arrive in the next few weeks, suggests this season’s final tonnage could be lower.
Changes in ocean currents, and favorable weather conditions are factors that contribute to the apparent decline in sargassum by 2024. These have a direct effect on the amount and distribution of algae in the ocean.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources states that when the algae are under control they serve as a habitat for important marine species and provide food, shade, and shelter to crabs, shrimps, and turtles.
The Secretary of the Navy is committed to keeping beaches clean. He works round the clock to collect and trap the algae in the water before it washes up on the shores of Cancun, where it can grow due to the shallow waters.
The Gulf and Caribbean Oceanography Institute of the Secretary Navy has recently updated its sargassum alarm category from one to two “very low” .
Sargassum levels will increase this week on renowned beaches such as Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Xcacel.
