Kurt - Just what is "sargassum grass"? We have seen various types of seaweed in Seagrove and don't know what any of it is. Thanks!! 
Eager to learn more...seaweed
- Thread starter Sea Star
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Re: Eager to learn more...
Good question! Is sargassum the spinachy stuff that smells to high heaven? How many kinds of seaweed does the area get and what are conditions that cause them to come in? I just love this message board...I get to learn new info to dazzle my family!
Good question! Is sargassum the spinachy stuff that smells to high heaven? How many kinds of seaweed does the area get and what are conditions that cause them to come in? I just love this message board...I get to learn new info to dazzle my family!
Re: Eager to learn more...
Off the coast of the United States, just south of Bermuda is the Sargasso Sea. This sea is the size of 2/3 of the United States. There, free-floating algae abounds. It is estimated that 7 million tons of live sargassum live in the sea! Sargassum reproduces by asexual means; a piece breaks off and becomes a separate plant.
Not surprisingly, this seaweed community supports a diverse ecosystem. Organisms found in the sea include shrimps, crabs, worms and fish. The sargassumfish is a fascinating creature that has adapted in a very specific and interesting way to live among the sargassum weeds.
Washed up on the beaches of SoWal, it creates a very effective means of trapping and holding sand that is deposited on the shore.
If you go offshore, especially during calm weather, you can find huge rafts of this plant. Mariners in the Atlantic who were caught in the "Doldrums", or zones of low winds, commonly found themselves surrounded by Sargassum. These plants have gas-filled balls which you can see in the picture that keep the plant afloat.
Off the coast of the United States, just south of Bermuda is the Sargasso Sea. This sea is the size of 2/3 of the United States. There, free-floating algae abounds. It is estimated that 7 million tons of live sargassum live in the sea! Sargassum reproduces by asexual means; a piece breaks off and becomes a separate plant.
Not surprisingly, this seaweed community supports a diverse ecosystem. Organisms found in the sea include shrimps, crabs, worms and fish. The sargassumfish is a fascinating creature that has adapted in a very specific and interesting way to live among the sargassum weeds.
Washed up on the beaches of SoWal, it creates a very effective means of trapping and holding sand that is deposited on the shore.
If you go offshore, especially during calm weather, you can find huge rafts of this plant. Mariners in the Atlantic who were caught in the "Doldrums", or zones of low winds, commonly found themselves surrounded by Sargassum. These plants have gas-filled balls which you can see in the picture that keep the plant afloat.
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I don't think that is a pic of the stinky stuff! It was a darker green. Thanks for the info!
Wow, very interesting. Is there more on beach than usual?
Ocean Lover said:
There seems to be a lot more this year, no doubt from the storms. We got no June Grass this year which is the stuff that's more like spinach.
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Kurt, your knowledge about the environment of the Gulf is very impressive. Does it come from being a SoWal native? You seem to know everything!
Snapper Grabber said:
I've been here awhile but I'm not a native. SoWal years are about the same as dog years. 
Thanks, Kurt. I have seen the sargassum, just didn't know what it was. The air chambers remind me of the water hyacinths we have in our pond. The leaves of the plant grow from a large bubble-like part of the plant that keeps it afloat. Where do the little sticks with the knots on the ends come from? We find those on the beach a lot, and they are really quite interesting.
Sea Star said:
If I'm thinking about what you're describing, they are a type of reed found in South Florida and Mexico. We get a lot of stuff that washes up from those parts that isn't native. Some of it very unusual, especially after storms.