Florida researchers work toward tool to predict seaweed blooms

Why it matters: Sargassum provides critical habitat for marine life, but when the smelly seaweed washes ashore, it can mess up your beach day and deter tourists.

What they're saying: "The goal is to be able to put a single beach on alert when a sargassum inundation is imminent, instead of alerting the entire Caribbean," said Brian Barnes, assistant research professor and physical oceanographer at USF's College of Marine Science, and the project's principal investigator.