“This does not mean that there is no arrival, but that it will be in minimum quantities, so the coordinator of the Network made a call on municipal authorities not to let down their guard down and continue with collection works”.
The Sargasso Monitoring Network of Cancun, announced that due to northwestern winds and changing sea currents, the rebuilding of the macro algae on the coasts of Quintana Roo will be virtually nule throughout the month of August.
Esteban Amaro Mauricio, hydrobiologist and coordinator of the network, explained that this was due to the tropical waves 20, 21 and 22, which together with the cold front number 62, caused low altitude winds, a jet stream that has removed the sargasso from the state’s coasts.
“From July 23rd, 24th and 25th we had the entrance of the tropical waves 20, 21 and 22 in a consecutive way and we also had the influence of the cold front number 62. Everything was combined resulting in low altitude winds, a jet current that made the winds change so there was an inversion”, explained Amaro Mauricio.
As for the sea currents, the hydrobiologist explained that they changed towards the northwest, which means that the sargasso not only did not stop at the beaches of Quintana Roo, but also removed the seaweed to the north of the Yucatan Peninsula.
This series of phenomena also originated a series of high tides, which have helped to clean the beaches of Quintana Roo, that is, the waves have gradually replaced the brown water of the beaches by the characteristic turquoise blue, mainly in municipalities such as Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
“There was also an issue of high tide that took the sargasso away from the beach, so practically this happened overnight,” said the coordinator of the network.
According to the specialist, these weather conditions will prevail for three more weeks, so it is expected that for almost the entire month of August, the sargasso will not be a problem on the beaches of Quintana Roo.
“As long as the winds continue with that pattern, there won’t be a problem, we would have to be observant of the winds very closely, if we see that they change direction we would have to be alert,” he said.
This does not mean that there will not be an arrival, but that it will be in minimum quantities, so the coordinator of the Network called on the authorities of the municipalities not to lower their guard and continue the work of collection, especially in areas where the seaweed has not been removed.
Sargasso in 2019 will be less than 2018: NASA
Through its monthly newsletter, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the University of South Florida, agreed that the amount of serge that reached the Caribbean Sea will be lower, compared to 2018, but higher than that recorded in 2015.
“For October and the last months of 2019 it is possible that the beach events with sargasso in the Caribbean Sea, and in the whole of South Florida, will be reduced with respect to the current and previous months due to the fact that the amount in the Atlantic Ocean has decreased since the beginning of July”, both entities said in a monthly bulletin.
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