TCU, about the sargassum seaweed.
It did not used to be a problem at all.
But starting just a very few years ago... something happened, and recently beaches all around this Caribbean area have just been inundated with piles of it.
It is being considered a major ecological problem, tourist industry problem, etc.
There are now a lot of real studies and focus.
Here is the current situation and knowledge.
Basically, experts are studying this, and admit that nobody really understands.
You just can't second guess this stuff.
Last year was BAD.
Typically, it was thought that the 'bloom' would begin to occur as the waters warmed up, and the Sargassum would then follow the Caribbean and Gulf currents, washing ashore and landing on beaches all throughout this path.
It has been expected that this would then lessen and go away after the summer. This is NOT what has happened. Just kept coming all year.
BUT.... This year, instead of increasing in February, as per ususal expectation, with Spring coming, The latest studies show that, this year, it actually DECREASED from Jan/Feb into March.
Here is the best site that I have found.
https://optics.marine.usf.edu/projects/saws.html
The updates come in at the end of every month, so a new one will come in soon at the end of March.
You can click on LAST Feb 2018, and then THIS Feb, and see the difference in what it did last year, and what it had been expected to do, and what is actually happening, which is a significant DECREASE, instead of increase.