A 5,000-mile-wide bunch of seaweed, roughly twice the width of the United States, is bearing down on the southwest coast of Florida, where residents may suffer respiratory problems as a result.
A huge swath of seaweed, also known as sargassum, wrought havoc with the water desalination plant on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands last summer. Governor Albert Bryan Jr. issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency because of the water shortage.
“Even if it’s just out in coastal waters, it can block intake valves for things like power plants or desalination plants, marinas can get completely inundated and boats can’t navigate through,” Brian Barnes, a professor at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science said of the looming problem, which currently is
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