Large seaweed blobs threaten Florida’s beaches

Algae is threatening both of Florida's coasts. CNN/WINK/GETTY IMAGE/U. OF THE WEST INDIES/BRIAN LAPOINTE/FAU HARBOR BRANCH/FARAHNAZ NISSA/YouTube/Leonard Shea
Published: Mar. 17, 2023 at 2:14 PM EDT
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(CNN) - Here’s something you might not have considered while planning your next beach vacation: An onslaught of sargassum seaweed might be moving toward Florida.

Stretches are so large, they’re visible from space.

The European Space Agency shared a satellite image. It’s not one giant mass but rather a slew of teardrop-shaped blobs that stretch over 60 miles in the Atlantic Ocean.

Another image shows two stretches in the Caribbean Sea, spanning about seven miles.

Most of the seaweed is still hundreds of miles from the U.S., but some is on the coast now.

If too much of it comes on shore, it can overwhelm beaches, rot on the sand and give off a bad smell.

It can also irritate your nose and lungs.