DLNews Health:

TWICE AS WIDE AS THE USA!

A vast, smelly mass of seaweed is approaching the east coast of the USA. The dimensions: gigantic! The seaweed carpet is about twice as wide as the US mainland, weighing around 6.1 million tons.

Marine biologists have been observing the carpet of seaweed for months. Now it's washing up on the beaches of the US state. And: The experts sound the alarm! It could get a lot worse - and this of all times at the start of the tourism season.

Tractors clean the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

Photos show how officials drive along the beaches with tractors and excavators and remove the washed-up flood of algae. Strollers struggle through high mountains of seaweed.

Dr. Brian Barnes, an assistant professor of marine biology at the University of South Florida, has been monitoring the seaweed for weeks and believes much more significant amounts will be found offshore in late spring and early summer.

Seaweed has been piling up on the US east coast in the last few days - and this is just the beginning.

“Larger amounts should be found off the Florida coast from April to July. However, most of it will remain offshore. However, when the currents and winds work against us, more can be pushed ashore and affect beaches locally," Barnes told Fox Weather.

According to the Florida Health Department, seaweed is not harmful to humans but has a strong odor. And: Aside from the unpleasant smell, similar to rotten eggs, the tiny critters in the seaweed can cause skin rashes and irritation.

In general, these seagrass carpets occur annually. But this year, the scale is truly extraordinary. Experts haven't figured out why some years produce more algae than others, but they suspect it's a combination of factors, including runoff from significant waterways.

"It's hard to say what's causing it, but generally flowering occurs when the right conditions are in place: temperature, light, seeds, and nutrients," says Barnes.

This aerial view shows the washed-up algae – a considerably huge carpet is still floating in the sea off the coast.

Aside from the smell, algal blooms can cost coastal communities big bucks to clean up — and even drive away tourists.

The US Crisis Center estimated the cost of cleaning up beaches in the Caribbean after a massive 2018 algal bloom at more than $120 million. A study found it would have a similar impact in South Florida.