Brown Macroalgae and Kelp Codexery

Sargassum

Brown macroalgae forming vast drifting mats in tropical oceans.

Last updated

The genus was named after the Portuguese word for grape, sargaço, by Portuguese sailors who observed its air-filled bladders in the Sargasso Sea.[1] Only two species within this genus, Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans, are holopelagic and propagate exclusively through clonal fragmentation.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. CladeEukaryota
  2. CladeSar<!-- Do not change Sar to SAR. The consensus was to use Sar in the taxonomy template. -->
  3. CladeStramenopiles
  4. ClassPhaeophyceae
  5. OrderFucales
  6. FamilySargassaceae
  7. GenusSargassum

Named by C. Agardh

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Sargassum (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Species count
over 300 species
Holopelagic species
Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans
Associated fish species
81 fish species (36 families)
Associated phyla
more than 11 phyla
Total associated species
over 100 different species

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Sargassum species can reach up to several metres in length and are brown or dark olive green in color.[3] Fossils of floating brown algae resembling modern Sargassum are common in Early Oligocene-aged layers of the Menilite Formation in Poland.[4] These fossil deposits also contain shallow-water fish and crab fossils, resembling a "quasi-Sargasso" assemblage.[4] Sargassum provides vital habitat for over 100 species, including fish, crabs, sea turtles, and migratory birds.[2][5]

When large amounts accumulate on shore and decompose, they form Sargassum brown tides that reduce light penetration and dissolved oxygen.[2][6] Maritime letters from the first voyage of Cristobal Columbus contain the earliest known mention of encountering large floating masses of Sargassum.[7] The Sargasso Sea got its name from the large quantities of Sargassum it hosts, which can form golden brown drifting mats that extend for kilometers.[8] Record amounts of Sargassum started inundating coastal areas in unprecedented quantities beginning in 2011.[9][10]

The 2011 bloom's biomass was 200 times greater than the average bloom size from the preceding eight years.[10]

What the cited sources add

Researchers now believe the main nursery for Sargassum mega blooms is located off the West African coast, not the Sargasso Sea.[10] The NOAA account states that Sargassum is designated as Essential Fish Habitat for species including gray triggerfish, amberjack, and mahi mahi.[11] A University of South Florida study confirmed that the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt forms its shape in response to ocean currents.[12] The same study identified nutrient input from the Amazon River and West African upwelling as critical factors for bloom formation.[12]

The EPA notes that commercial harvesting of Sargassum in federal waters of the South Atlantic is strictly prohibited under federal fisheries regulations.[13] The EPA also states that some jurisdictions choose to leave Sargassum on the beach or incorporate it into the sand.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bracco, "Sargassum, the smelly nemesis of beach vacations, has become a self-sustaining disaster that will keep coming back", The Conversation, 2026-07-28 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: US Department of Commerce, "Sargassum: From Sea to Shore", oceanservice.noaa.gov; Monroy-Velázquez, "Faunal associations of holopelagic Sargassum spp. in the subtropical and tropical northern Atlantic: A review", Harmful Algae, 2025-11-01 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Abbott, "Marine Algae of California", Stanford University Press, 1992, p. 272– (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jerzmańska, "The beginnings of the Sargasso assemblage in the Tethys?", Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 1976-11-01, p. 297–306; Kotlarczyk, "A framework of ichthyofaunal ecostratigraphy of the Oligocene-Early Miocene strata of the Polish Outer Carpathian basin", Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 2006, p. 1–111 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stoner, "Geographic variation in the macrofaunal associates of pelagic Sargassum and some biogeographic implications", Marine Ecology Progress Series, 1984, p. 185–192; Casazza, "Sargassum: A Complex 'Island' Community at Sea", NOAA Ocean Explorer (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: van Tussenbroek, "Severe impacts of brown tides caused by Sargassum spp. on near-shore Caribbean seagrass communities", Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2017-09-15, p. 272–281 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wang, "The great Atlantic Sargassum belt", Science, 2019-07-05, p. 83–87; Padilla, "Earth's Waters", Prentice Hall, 2000, p. 114; David McFadden, "Stinking mats of seaweed piling up on Caribbean beaches", Voice of America, August 10, 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sargasso", Straight Dope (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Sargassum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schell, "Recent Sargassum Inundation Events in the Caribbean: Shipboard Observations Reveal Dominance of a Previously Rare Form", Oceanography, September 1, 2015, p. 8–10; "Fact sheet", www.nps.gov; "Sargassum Seaweed: An important element for beaches and shoreline stability. &#124; Government of the Virgin Islands", bvi.gov.vg; "The Great Sargassum Disaster of 2018", essa.com, February 7, 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "The Great Sargassum Disaster of 2018", essa.com, February 7, 2019. facts only, no text reused. essa.com
  11. US Department of Commerce, "Sargassum: From Sea to Shore", oceanservice.noaa.gov. facts only, no text reused. oceanservice.noaa.gov
  12. "Scientists discover the biggest seaweed bloom in the world", phys.org. facts only, no text reused. phys.org
  13. US EPA, "Management Methods for Sargassum Inundation Events (SIEs)", www.epa.gov, 2023-07-05. facts only, no text reused. epa.gov

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sargassum (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Brown Macroalgae and Kelp

Sargassum aquifoliumSargassum horneriSargassum johnsoniiSargassum muticumTurbinaria (alga)Turbinaria ornataWrack (seaweed)Alaria marginataDesmarestiaDictyota sandvicensisEctocarpalesFucophycidae

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →