Gone with the wind: An unexpected Sargassum inundation in the mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago

Large masses of pelagic Sargassum occur in the Atlantic Ocean between the latitudes 5°S and 38°N. Since 2011, inundations have happened in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and West Africa, affecting biological communities and economies. A series of severe weather events in the Azores led to a Sargassum inundation between mid-December 2023 and early April 2024, here reported for the first time. Although the sea reclaimed most of the stranded algae, 555 metric tons were removed. Periodic inundations may represent an introduction pathway for non-native species since massive amounts of organisms are deposited alive on the coast. Besides the ecological impact, the inundations can be harmful to human health and impact the tourism sector. Further studies on the expected changes in the frequency and severity of storms in the region are necessary to evaluate the probability of new inundations. Measures to attenuate possible impacts should also be searched.