Massive mats of sargassum seaweed are once again drifting toward the Caribbean, with early signs already appearing along key coastlines in early January—weeks ahead of typical seasonal trends.
The first 2026 forecasts released by the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab warn of a potentially significant bloom year, with preliminary satellite data showing above-average sargassum concentrations in the central Atlantic, a known precursor for large influxes in the Caribbean Sea.
“We’re observing early accumulations, particularly along the eastern shores of Barbados, Dominica, and parts of the French Antilles,” said Dr. Mengqiu Wang, an oceanographer with the USF team tracking the bloom via satellite imagery. “The
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