CNN CNN Newsroom June 4, 2024 13:45:00
The tropical atlantic formed and in 2018, it reached its maximum extent of extending all the way from the coast of africa, around the gulf of guinea across the tropical atlantic, through the caribbean, into florida area, that's 850 kilometers. at that point we realized this is the largest algae bloom on earth. we've been studying it. it's varied a little bit from year-to-year. 2001 we did not see the sargassum belt form. it doubled this year from december to january, based on the satellite imagery, that's how we track it. and we have sampled some of this