Above is what one expects at a resort on the beach. The only unusual part is that no one is there. Actually, very few people are there.
This is the beach at the resort where we stayed. Part of the reason no one was there was because it was the "off-season." This place gets really busy in the winter. But there was another reason...
The islands of the Caribbean are having a major problem with seaweed abundance. Large blooms offshore entangle swimmers, turtles, etc. and then drift up upon the beach covering the sand. It was at least a foot thick all along the shoreline.
Every single day a scoop was out removing the seaweed and working its way up and down the beach. There was no off smell as the news reported...just a little pungent saltiness in the air. Maybe that was because they worked each day to remove it. As a gardener, I was hoping they were taking this truckload somewhere to enhance the island soil!
This plant is called Sargassum, a brown seaweed, that grows in the open ocean. There does not seem to be a certain answer for why this north Atlantic plant now is in abundance down south, although one marine scientist thinks it is more closely related to another species of Sargassum off the coast of Brazil.
“Nobody has a definite answer. Nutrient inputs from the Amazon River, which discharges into the ocean around where blooms were first spotted, may have stimulated Sargassum growth. But other factors, including changes in ocean currents and increased iron deposition from airborne dust, are equally plausible. It’s all “educated speculation,” Hu, an oceanographer from the University of Southern Florida states.
This was the second day of our vacation the family went out on a boat to snorkel. Since they were going on the windy side of the island and I get seasick, I opted to stay at the resort. My walk of a mile or so down the Sargassum beach was really good exercise. There was no one else once I left the resort area and I was not fearful of crime as I only had my small point and shoot camera and the island is "relatively" crime free. (More on that later.) The sand was very soft and gave me one heck of a workout as well as the solitude I craved. Come back again and I will take you on the walk.
“Nobody has a definite answer. Nutrient inputs from the Amazon River, which discharges into the ocean around where blooms were first spotted, may have stimulated Sargassum growth. But other factors, including changes in ocean currents and increased iron deposition from airborne dust, are equally plausible. It’s all “educated speculation,” Hu, an oceanographer from the University of Southern Florida states.
This was the second day of our vacation the family went out on a boat to snorkel. Since they were going on the windy side of the island and I get seasick, I opted to stay at the resort. My walk of a mile or so down the Sargassum beach was really good exercise. There was no one else once I left the resort area and I was not fearful of crime as I only had my small point and shoot camera and the island is "relatively" crime free. (More on that later.) The sand was very soft and gave me one heck of a workout as well as the solitude I craved. Come back again and I will take you on the walk.
As a gardener like you I hope they will put that seaweed to good use to feed plants. I lived on Nevis for 6 months, a tiny island in the Caribbean, and loved my time there.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I just now read your previous post and see you are on St. Kitts; Nevis and St. Kitts form one country, and I visited St. Kitts several times. Great rum on the islands and Nevis has a great history, even of a historic romance. Enjoy every minute of your stay.
ReplyDeleteThoughtful post
ReplyDeleteIf its not one thing, its another is the era I believe we are now well entrenched in.
I can miss falling, but turn around and crack a foot. I feel Nature is having much the same.
I look forward to spending time with you on the walk. That's weird about the seaweed, but it sure made for a quiet time for you! :-)
ReplyDeleteThe beach in our community is cleared of seaweed every few weeks. I have never seen seaweed pile up anywhere else on this island as it does in our community. It is unusual to see the deserted beach.
ReplyDeleteBeach walks are lovely, and sometimes seaweedy. One reason we go to Florida in June is because by August, they are having lots of seaweed, too.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd rather have the seaweed than the crocodiles! Although, when I think about it, the seaweed problem could have a solution. Not sure what the future holds for crocs.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought about the seaweed was about using it to enhance soil.
ReplyDeleteI thought seaweed was nutritious... of course maybe that's only a certain kind. But I'm guessing that it is good for some use. I admit it doesn't make for a pretty site on the beach... but a walk on the beach still sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI used to do about 5 miles at the tideline every day. Yes, that stuff there is very deep. Are they cutting it offshore and this is the leavings. That used to get us. And then the flies. Lovely place tho.
ReplyDeleteI too thought about using it for fertilizer. I wonder if the problem continued during the "on" season. It would be very hard on the local economics.
ReplyDeleteExpect with climate changes we may see lots of unexpected vegetation differences in our environment.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any seaweed this summer, but like the Japanese some people do eat specific types of seaweed. It is rather beautiful in water, its fronds gently echoing the waves above.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful beach to go to .. um ... weed. (I'd like to say seed, but it doesn't quite work.)
ReplyDeletewe get that seaweed on the gulf coast every year. some years more than others. in Galveston they used to do that, scrape it up and haul it off, but it turned out it had a deleterious effect on the dunes so now they just leave it. I can see why some picky vacation goers would complain but to me it's just part of the cycle of life on this planet.
ReplyDelete