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Brian Barnes reports that seaweed in the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt reached near-record levels in June 2026.

Marine scientist Brian Barnes of the University of South Florida reported that seaweed in the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt reached near-record levels in June 2026. The Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico both hit all-time highs, with the Gulf reaching nearly double its previous record. While Sargassum provides habitat for marine life and adds oxygen to the water, excessive amounts near the shore can suffocate marine life and release a rotten-egg-smelling gas as it decomposes. Chuanmin Hu, an optical oceanographer at the University of South Florida, noted that the total amount of Sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean has more than doubled every five years since 2011. Researchers are using NASA's PACE satellite to monitor these changes. Lin Qi, an oceanographer at NOAA, has been working to generate maps based on data from the PACE satellite, which offers higher sensitivity and hyperspectral capability to distinguish Sargassum from other types of algae.

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