AlgaRay Robot Turns Sargassum Bloom Into a Climate Solution

Sargassum Bloom

For over a decade, the sargassum bloom has been circulating around the Atlantic Ocean, washing up on beaches, and threatening the livelihood of coastal communities and underwater ecosystems like coral reefs. Now, a team of scientists and engineers at Seaweed Generation have stepped up to create a sea robot called the Algaray. This invention may not only solve the sargassum problem but also fight to reduce climate change and prevent the possibility of a very bad situation from happening.

Sargassum has been absorbing much of our excess carbon emissions, but there is a possibility that it can release that carbon back into the atmosphere; in fact, sargassum that washes up to shore can even release methane into the air.

Seaweed Generation is currently developing a robot capable of submerging sargassum seaweed to the sea floor where it will decay; thereby delaying the release of carbon dioxide from the sargassum into the atmosphere for hundreds or even thousands of years.

What is Sargassum Seaweed?

Sargassum is a type of floating algae that has strong carbon-storing abilities but cannot be used for commercial purposes like other seaweed—such as transforming them into plastic alternatives.

Until the last decade or so, this algae was confined to an area in the mid-Atlantic called the Sargasso Sea where it was cut off from land by a circulatory system of currents.

The increase in climate change has caused some of the sargassum algae to leave the natural barrier of its ocean currents, and now, it is blooming at an alarming rate. The phenomenon of sargassum bloom is a prime example of how changes in our climate can have a cascading effect of compounding problems.

How Did the Sargassum Bloom Start?

A change in air pressure in 2009 allowed for a portion of the algae from the Sargasso Sea to make its way to the coast of Spain, Portugal, and Morrocco. This migrating sargassum was picked up by the North Equatorial current and led west towards South America.

The ongoing deforestation of the Amazon has uprooted much of its nutrient-rich soil, and much of these nutrients have been washed out to sea.

When the sargassum arrived along the Amazon coast, it began mixing in these nutrient-rich waters. This allowed the sargassum to “bloom” or grow beyond its normal size.

The nutrient-rich seaweed then passed through the Caribbean coasts and the Gulf of Mexico on its way to Florida where it travelled up the eastern seaboard of the United States and into the North Atlantic current. This carried the sargassum boom back to Europe, and a cycle began.

With each passing cycle, the sargassum bloom gets larger.  Sargassum in Mexico becomes sargassum in Florida, and sargassum in Florida becomes sargassum somewhere else.

How Is Sargassum Affecting Our Planet?

A steady stream of sargassum algae now flows between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, and it’s continuing to grow exponentially. The Algae is a problem in part because it destroys the flora and fauna of both land and sea-based ecosystems, including coral reefs, which AI technology is already working to restore.

The movement of seaweed can be monitored in real-time thanks to the efforts of scientists and volunteers who collect data along the seaweed’s path. Due to the hard work of these people, citizens and scientists alike can anticipate the arrival of seaweed into their area using a sargassum seaweed map.

The Impact of Sargassum in Florida

The sargassum in Florida has become so prevalent that the state has released a health advisory this year warning that the hydrogen sulfide produced by the algae can be extremely irritating and potentially dangerous to those with asthma or other breathing conditions. Sargassum seaweed also contains small organisms like the larvae of jellyfish which can irritate the skin and cause blistering. 

In addition to being a health risk, the Sargassum in Florida affects the state’s economy. NPR reported that 1 out of every 10 tourists in 2020 would not want to come to the Sunshine State if they knew the beaches would be blanked by the Algae. This downturn in tourism could equate to as much as 20 million dollars in lost revenue while also eliminating hundreds of jobs.  

The Algaray Robot: A Possible Solution

The good news is that the inordinate amount of algae generated by the bloom offers a unique way to slow climate change.

Founders Patricia Estridge and Mike Allen along with the Seaweed Generation team are currently developing an underwater robot they call AlgaRay which is designed to collect and submerge sargassum.

Algae produces up to 70% of the earth’s oxygen. It needs to absorb a large amount of carbon to be able to produce this much oxygen. This means that as sargassum seaweed continues to bloom, more plants are created that are capable of absorbing harmful carbon emissions. 

However, the sargassum bloom is quite different. When sargassum washes onto shores, it releases greenhouse gasses, and there is a possibility that the bloom will release a large amount of carbon back into the atmosphere which will highly accelerate the rate of climate change.

But submerging and sinking the algae will carry this carbon to the bottom of the ocean where experts suggest it can take up to 1000 years to be carried back to the surface after the algae decays.

What is the AlgaRay Robot?

The AlgaRay is a prototype designed to collect and submerge sargassum seaweed to a depth necessary for negative buoyancy—meaning it will allow the seaweed to sink to the ocean floor on its own. The robot itself is entirely sustainable since it’s powered by solar energy.

Will Sinking Sargassum to the Ocean Floor Work?

There is some concern over how the sargassum bloom will affect the ecosystem of the ocean floor. Some scientists are optimistic that the sargassum will add to the area’s biodiversity, which could make up for some of the life lost due to rising ocean temperatures; However, there is agreement that a better understanding of the deep-sea environment beforehand is necessary before knowing for certain.

Ingenuity For a Brighter Future

In July the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres announced that we are moving out of a period of global warming and entering an era of global boiling. The effects of climate change may become more apparent before it gets better.

While scientists are still gaining more of an understanding of the deep ocean floor, submerging the worst of the Sargassum bloom may be one part of many ingenious solutions that some very inspirational people have come up with.

In addition to other solutions that decrease both emissions on land and at sea, Seaweed Generation’s AlgaRay robot may yet play its part.

Our climate will continue to change until we reach net zero, but we can still avoid catastrophes if we learn to protect the natural balance of our ecosystems.

Fortunately, while the cascading effects of climate change continue to pile up, the incentives to use many of the solutions increase as time goes by because these solutions are slowly becoming more profitable to use in the first place.

And probably the biggest motivational factor is that we possess the ingenuity necessary to create more solutions.