The Massive Seaweed Belt Threatening Atlantic Beaches: Updates and Preparations.

A 5,000-mile seaweed belt known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is expected to wash onto beaches in the Caribbean Sea, South Florida, and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico in the coming months. Sargassum is a brown algae that carpets beaches, releasing a pungent smell as it decays and ensnares humans and animals who step into it. The seaweed originates in the Sargasso Sea and provides breeding ground, food, and habitat for marine life. Scientists believe agricultural runoff and warming waters are contributing to the increased growth of the belt, but the exact cause is unknown.