Officials on Isla Mujeres are working to keep beaches sargassum-free and have already collected more than 2,000 tons of the brown seaweed from the shores of the Mexican island.
The Director of Zofemat Isla Mujeres, Dayana Pérez Medina, the Director of Zofemat Isla Mujeres, says 2,140 tons has been lifted from the beaches so far this year, according to Riviera Maya News.
Both Pérez Medina and Mayor Atenea Gómez Ricalde have said they’re committed to keeping the beaches of the popular island clean and to help achieve that goal have reinforced cleanup efforts in what’s known as the Federal Maritime Land Zone (Zofemat).
The ongoing cleanup work is part of a national strategy against sargassum, which has grown to include the help of volunteers from the private sector, civil society and the Navy, per Rivera Maya News.
Zona Federal Marítimo Terrestre (Zofemat) staff conduct beach clean-ups every day beginning at 5 a.m. to help ensure the beaches are ready to welcome visitors.
Brown alga called Sargassum has impacted beaches throughout the Caribbean since 2011, according to the University of South Florida. Researchers have attributed the phenomenon, known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB), to wind, ocean currents, and nutrients.
“Two consecutive years of a strong negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a shift in atmospheric pressure over the Atlantic that changes circulation and wind patterns, pushed Sargassum into the tropics,” says a new report. “There it found warm, nutrient-rich waters, and lots of sunlight, all year-round.”
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