Massive amounts of sargassum algae washed up on the shores of Samana as summer began in the Dominican Republic, impacting tourism and local businesses, according to residents and local workers.

Samana

Large amounts of sargassum algae have recently washed ashore in Samana, a popular tourist destination in the Dominican Republic. The influx of this brown seaweed, which floats on the ocean surface, has led to a noticeable decline in tourism as visitors avoid beaches covered in decomposing algae and affected by unpleasant smells.

Local boat operators and tour guides report a significant drop in business, with many tourists leaving upon seeing the algae. Researchers from the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo are developing improved models to predict sargassum arrivals, aiming to help local communities better prepare for future events.

Sargassum invasion hits Dominican tourist paradise of Samana

On the shores of Samana, in the Dominican Republic, a leafy brown blanket is creeping over the coastline. As summer began on Sunday, a massive amount of sargassum algae swept ashore. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the algae is a brown seaweed that clumps on ocean surface, never sinking to the seafloor. These floating mats can be huge and provide food and shelter for fish, turtles, birds and more. But for locals, it's bad news. Sargassum has increasingly affected Dominican beaches and coastal communities since 2018, especially in popular spots like Samana. Boat operators and tour guides reported a sharp drop in tourists, with visitors avoiding beaches covered in decomposing algae. We hardly do any tours. Look at the boats stranded there. We barely do any tours because people come, see all this, they just turn around and leave. We're missing a bit of activity because the bad smell and everything keeps people away. When there's no sargassum and it isn't raining, things go well here and sales are good. Researchers from the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo say they're finding better ways to predict sargassum arrivals, as they say local currents are unpredictable. Ivan Jimenez is a mechanical engineering professor with the institute. What we try to do is understand or maybe model how the sargassum behaves according to the local conditions at the time. We try to create better prediction models that are not based just on the Dominican Republic's conditions.

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