CLEANING UP SARGASSUM SEAWEED BLOOMS

 

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Cleaning up the beaches at Cuncum, Gulf of Mexico

 

 

AUGUST 2022 - Climate change is causing misery in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, with the Sargasso Sea producing colossal sargassum blooms of 22 millions tons this year, an increase over 18 million tons in 2021. It would take a fleet of 300 specially adapted SeaVax machines, operating at a speed of one load per hour, to deal with such quantities. Clearly, that is not going to happen, where the world would not pay to clean the ocean of plastic, using the same fleet. The only sparkle on the brown tinged horizon is that sargassum can be a cash crop. Even so, the sums being bandied about don't come close to managing this crisis.

 

 

 

 

It's been at crisis levels for several years, but only recently have the Island nations affected by what amounts to a plague, put that stamp on the problem. Nations dependent on tourist dollars, have been hit with beaches of decomposing sargassum, smelling of rotten eggs, causing ecological mayhem. Hardly alluring for holiday makers, as they book their hotels in a paradise location.

 

It used to be oil spills. But as we transition from heavy diesel bunker fuels to renewable hydrogen gas, and H2 based compounds such as ammonia and methanol, oil spills from tankers will be a thing of the past.

 

 

 

 

 

OCEAN CLEANING DRONE - As seen above, SeaVax is not suitable for harvesting sargassum in voluminous quantities. But the concept may be adapted to the task. You'd still need autonomous fleet control, solar assistance and a capacious holding tank. But, the harvesting mechanics are different, as is the product transfer arrangement. Assuming 24 hour operation, and factory ships to treat the recovered asset, for distribution across the globe.

 

It would take a fleet of 300 specially adapted SeaVax machines, operating at a speed of one load per hour, to deal with such quantities. Clearly, that is not going to happen, where - as an example - the world would not pay to clean the ocean of plastic, using a similar fleet. The only sparkle on the brown tinged horizon is that sargassum can be a cash crop. Even so, the sums being bandied about to entice entrepreneurs, don't come close to managing this crisis. What they need is a miracle, dealing with the root cause, which is warming of the oceans from climate change. What is for sure, you cannot use fossil fuels to power such ocean cleaning endeavours - being totally counterproductive.

 

 

 

 

With an efficient method of harvesting the macro-algae, there is potential to turn a nuisance into opportunity. Managed effectively, it may be possible to reduce the negative impact of sargassum and even benefit from this environmental nuisance.

 

The Cleaner Ocean Foundation is willing to collaborate with any Student, University or other Organization - in the development of a workable solution -as befits the scale of the problem. We would suggest as a first stage, that a study in economics might be appropriate, to decide if the development of a SeaVax like vessel might be appropriate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SeaVax-Calypso™  &  AmphiMax-Calypso™                    SeaVax-Sargasso™  &   AmphiMax-Sargasso


 

 

 

UNEP - UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

 

While 2020 was relatively mild in terms of sargassum volumes, and a global pandemic became the overarching worry, 2018 was record breaking in terms of sargassum volumes reaching Caribbean shores and 2019 was also significant.

 

Floating sargassum should not be construed as negative in and of itself – it is beneficial at sea, mainly as a unique pelagic habitat. 

However, the mass stranding of sargassum on coastlines has significant negative impacts (biophysical and socio-economic), particularly on coastal communities and livelihoods, public health, tourism and fisheries. This issue therefore represents an 
emerging hazard for a region that is already subject to numerous hazards. Indeed, various countries in the Caribbean have declared national states of emergency with respect to sargassum influxes (Desrochers et al. 2020).

The issue is however not confined to the Caribbean Sea, but it extends across the Tropical Atlantic, including equatorial Brazil as well as coastal West Africa from Sierra Leone through the Gulf of Guinea. Sargassum influxes are very much a multi-regional transboundary issue, demanding coordination and collaboration within and across impacted regions. 

HEAVY MACHINERY

A secondary, avoidable negative impact of the influxes relates to the use of heavy machinery to remove massive Sargassum landings, which impacts beach habitats and tend to worsen the environmental harm. The use of heavy machinery causes compaction of beaches and kills organisms that live in the sand, such as ghost crabs and other sea creatures that keep a beach healthy by creating hundreds of holes that keep the beach ventilated. Driving with heavy equipment will not only crush them, but also kills any potential sea turtles’ nests. Another impact is the removal of vast quantities of sand, resulting in unintentional sand mining, and ends up affecting the entire beach ecosystem.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS

Sargassum influxes negatively impact human well-being, activities, and livelihoods as well as major sectors of Caribbean Economies. Key sectors impacted include: coastal living and livelihoods, marine transport/ navigation, public health, fisheries and tourism. These impacts are inter-related, with many stemming from one of the key drivers of biophysical impacts – the decay of the sargassum biomass. 

 

The production of hydrogen sulphide negatively impacts air quality, results in very unpleasant odours, and prolonged exposure is unhealthy, especially for persons with underlying respiratory conditions. This is detrimental for coastal residents and beach users, whether local or visitors. Beach users who live elsewhere have the option to avoid impacted locations, while residents may be unable to avoid prolonged exposure. 

 

Large quantities of sargassum also spoil the aesthetic appeal of Caribbean beaches, and inhibit access to nearshore waters. Both issues affect residents, local beach users and tourists, while the latter particularly impacts those whose livelihoods rely on the sea, such as fishers who may need to access the water to access their equipment and/or livelihood.

DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY

When stranded in coastal areas, the sargassum itself dies, and many of the negative impacts originate with its decay. Given the scale and extent of the negative impacts these influx events may be characterized as a recurring hazard. The unprecedented scale of the Sargassum influxes also led to declaration of emergency conditions in several Caribbean countries e.g. Tobago in 2015, Barbados in 2018, and Mexico in 2019 (Chavez et al. 2020).

 

 

 

 

 

CARIBBEAN ISLANDS BY POPULATION

 

 Cuba 11,252,999 
 Haiti 11,263,077 (Hispaniola)
 Dominican Republic 10,766,998 (Hispaniola)
 Puerto Rico (US) 3,508,000 
 Jamaica 2,729,000 
 Trinidad and Tobago 1,357,000
 Guadeloupe (France) 405,000 
 Martinique (France) 383,000 
 Bahamas 379,000
10 Barbados 283,000
11 Saint Lucia 172,000 
12 Curaçao (Netherlands) 157,000
13 Aruba (Netherlands) 110,000 
14 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 110,000 
15 United States Virgin Islands 105,000 
16 Grenada 104,000 
17 Antigua and Barbuda 89,000 
18 Dominica 71,000
19 Cayman Islands (UK) 59,000 
20 Saint Kitts and Nevis 46,000 
21 Sint Maarten (Netherlands) 39,000 
22 Turks and Caicos Islands (UK) 37,000 
23 Saint Martin (France) 36,000 
24 British Virgin Islands (UK) 31,000 
25 Caribbean Netherlands 26,000 
26 Anguilla (UK) 14,000 
27 Saint Barthélemy (France) 10,000 
28 Montserrat (UK) 5,000

29 Tortuga 25,936

30 Roatán 110,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Governments might revise their policies, to most urgently curb global warming, hence ocean temperature rises that are causing the sargassum crisis. The is the root cause of the problem. Cleaning up the excess from the oceans and seas, is retrospective handling. That, unfortunately, it seems we will be lumbered with for at least 50 years hence. But if we don't do something urgently, there may be no way of stopping mass extinctions.

 

 

  

 

CLIMATE RELATED SEAWEED BLOOMS IN THE SARGASSO SEA AND CAUSING HAVOC

 

 

 

 

 

JVH2 - Jules Verne Hydrogen Trophy - World Hydrogen Challenge

 

 

 

BIOMASS - BUILDING MATERIALS - CANCER - CLOTHING & SHOES - CO2 SEQUESTRATION - COSMETICS

FERTILIZERS - FOODS - MEDICINES - MINERALS - PACKAGING - SUPPLEMENTS - VITAMINS

 

 

 

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This website is provided on a free basis as a public information service. copyright © Cleaner Oceans Foundation Ltd (COFL) (Company No: 4674774) 2022.

Solar Studios, BN271RF, United Kingdom. COFL is a company without share capital whose founding objects are charitable, being not-for-profit.

 

 

PROJECTS TO TACKLE THE SARGASSUM CRISIS, STEMMING FROM CLIMATE CHANGE AND ACID OCEANS