A sargassum spot that exceeds 4 times the size of the city of Merida has been detected by satellite and it be arriving at the Yucatan coasts this weekend.
The algae could have been attracted by the winds that blow to the south in the Gulf of Mexico, so in the next few hours they would be spreading on more than 120 kilometers of coastline in the state of Yucatan.
Esteban Amaro, of the Sargasso Monitoring Network of Cancun, said that through satellite images they could see the size of the spot, one of the first to arrive in this region this year, after affecting Quintana Roo since the month of April.
The seaweed can be seen a few kilometers from the coast, near the eastern part of the state, however it could extend to western regions, near the beaches of Sisal.
Amaro said that in addition to the southbound winds, the currents have changed in the last hours, which has dragged the algae to another area, due to the large amount that has been constantly forming in the Atlanti Ocean.
“In Yucatan, sargazo has already appeared in the area of Progreso, but not in this magnitude”, Amaro said.
Quintana Roo already implements measures to prevent the arrival of seaweed, as barriers on the high seas and the use of boats to collect offshore, however none of these measures have been taken in the state of Yucatan.
(Source: El Financiero)