Seaweed isn’t all idyllic ocean decoration. Some of it is nasty. That’s the case with Sargassum, a brown species of seaweed that looks like garbage and smells awful. Oh yeah,it’s currently got a super bloom that stretches across the Atlantic and its cause might be deforestation in Brazil.

As deforestation and agriculture increases in the rain forest, the run off goes into the Amazon River which then dumps out into the ocean. The seaweed takes in this bonus of nutrients and just blooms. The resulting “harvest” then washes up on beaches where it’s decomposing noxious gas can harm humans and animals alike. It also is sucking oxygen from the water which other creatures need to survive. Nice.

This isn’t species without merit though. Under normal circumstances it is a habitat and food source for a great deal of marine life. In the mass it is in now though, it’s a problem. One that may be here to stay, especially if nothing changes.