Seaweed for Beach Renewal

Seems like seaweed isn't just for sushi anymore. There’s a pilot program being launched off the coast of Texas that will use seaweed to build resilient dunes, dunes that will help prevent erosion from high tides, storm surges, and hurricanes. The stinky dark muck (seaweed) that washes up on the shores each day will be collected, compressed, and covered with sand which in turn will be planted (the plants will receive nourishment from the decomposing seaweed) to create a strong storm barrier system. Here are some more interesting facts about the seaweed they plan to use in this program. It’s made of brown algae in the Caribbean and travels for three to four months via natural currents and winds into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s been tracked by a NASA satellite system called SEAS, which stands for Sargassum Early Advisory System, for the last two years and with the satellite imagery predictions can be made about when and where the Sargassum Sea seaweed will wash up days in advance.

Ok, using seaweed, a natural resource that serves to keep a beach healthy in the first place, for a project like this one designed to protect towns along the Gulf Coast seems like a no brainer to me. I wonder if it would work on other beaches too and when this idea will catch on.