A nasty & 'smelly' surprise awaits Florida beachgoers this July

Tourists on the beaches of Florida might be in for an unpleasant surprise. Apparently, a massive mass of seaweed formed in the Atlantic Ocean is headed for Florida shores, besides other coastlines throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The smelly and potentially dangerous seaweed is a variety called sargassum and has been forming large blooms in the Atlantic for years now. However, scientists say that this year's sargassum mass is possibly the largest on record.

The latest mass of sargassum spans more than 5,000 miles from the coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Brian Lapointe, a researcher at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, told CNN that the seaweed blob is currently moving west. It will soon pass through the Caribbean and will reach the Gulf of Mexico during the summer. Florida beaches will witness the unpleasant sight sometime around July.

The sargassum bloom this year started to form earlier than ever and doubled in size between December and January. He told CNN that the mass "was larger in January than it has ever been since this new region of sargassum growth began in 2011".

"This is an entirely new oceanographic phenomenon that is creating such a problem,really a catastrophic problem, for tourism in the Caribbean region where it piles up on beaches up to fiveor six feet deep," Lapointe added.

Locals in Barbados used "1,600 dump trucks a day to clean the beaches of this seaweed", he noted.

Sargassum is a term used to refer to more than 300 species of brown algae. Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans are the most commonly found species in the Atlantic. It floats and provides food and protection to several sea creatures and also acts as a habitat for loggerhead sea turtles and other fishes.

However, once sargassum reaches the beaches, it becomes a problem. Besides making navigation difficult, it also emits a gas that smells like rotten eggs and can cause respiratory problems in human beings since it releases toxic hydrogen sulfide. Its flesh also contains arsenic, and accidental intake can lead to health issues.

(With inputs from agencies)