Craig A Layman’s scientific contributions

... The impacts include aesthetics (of the previously pristine white beaches), additional organic matter input, light attenuation, anoxia, and leaching ( van Tussenbroek et al., 2017;Chavez et al., 2020). The consequences are mortality of near-shore benthos, including seagrass and coral (Silva et al., 2016), beach erosion (van Tussenbroek et al., 2017;Silva et al., 2020), the modification of sediment structure (Maurer, 2019), changes in the trophic relationships (Cabanillas-Terań et al., 2019), respiratory and skin health issues in humans (Resiere et al., 2018), and economic losses for the tourist industry. Although the latter has not been fully assessed, losses are estimated to be substantial as the beaches lost their attractiveness due to the unsightly accumulations of sargasso (Langin, 2018). ...

Reference:

Multiscale distribution patterns of pelagic rafts of sargasso (Sargassum spp.) in the Mexican Caribbean (2014–2020)