Esteban Amaro, president of the Sargassum Monitoring Network in Quintana Roo, shared with Heraldo de México – Quintana Roo that the 30 to 40 kilometer per hour winds recorded as a result of the Surada (Southern Wind) have caused a massive arrival of sargassum to the state’s coasts since the weekend, mostly in the south, with hundreds of points in the north.
Regarding this part of the state, he explained that it is mainly on the east coast of Cozumel Island, as well as in Solidaridad near Akumal, and in Puerto Morelos near Petempich Bay.
He noted that, while there has been a massive arrival, there are other beaches that have been virtually unaffected. Among them, he said a moderate arrival has been recorded. This is the case of the beaches of Cancún, where he said the sargassum is basically arriving, it’s leaving.
“Well, we can say that Cancún’s beaches have been moderately affected, with virtually no impact. The beaches of Costa Mujeres and the coasts of Isla Contoy, Isla Mujeres, and Holbox are also free of sargassum. Obviously, this is for the moment, but this can change at any moment due to prevailing weather conditions. We know that the weather has no say and anything can happen, but we are obviously alert to any changes,” he said.
The head of the State Sargassum Monitoring Network noted that this year’s sargassum season, 20 to 30% full, compared to the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He noted, for example, that last year 37,000 tons of sargassum were collected, so this year it is expected that between 50 and 500 tons will be recorded.
“The season is just beginning, and as spring progresses, the presence of this algae will intensify, becoming more complicated as summer approaches, when the combination of currents and winds will be present, and the amount of sargassum will also increase due to water temperature,” he explained.
Source: quintanaroo.heraldodemexico
