Florida researchers work toward tool to predict seaweed blooms

Florida researchers want to better forecast when sargassum seaweed blooms are threatening to swamp beaches here and in the Caribbean.

Driving the news: A team at the University of South Florida will lead a $3.2 million federal grant to develop real-time forecasting tools to help coastal communities prepare for incoming 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.