Sargassum

Bonaire has a Sargassum problem.  It piles up in the lagoons and  prevents turtles from laying eggs and reaching the ocean.  Plus it stinks and can cause headaches and nausea.

Sargassum is a brown algae (seaweed) that lives in tropical oceans and inhabits shallow water and coral reefs. It is free floating which causes it to gather and clog water ways, beaches and lagoons.

Volunteers and Stinapa (the environmental conservation group that maintains the national park surrounding Bonaire) are constantly collecting it and dragging it on shore to dry out and open the water ways.  It is  nasty smelling whether on shore or in the water.

The seaweed invasion is most likely caused by Saharan dust clouds, warming water temperatures and a growing nitrogen content in the sea. These events cause the Sargassum to bloom and be swept onto land by the winds and current.

The Saharan dust has been pretty bad in recent weeks.  I have a layer of dirt on everything inside and outside the house.  And with the rising temperatures, Sargassum is certainly going to continue to be an issue on Bonaire for the summer.