In June, the agency’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite observed near-record levels of seaweed in the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, which stretches across the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Mats can entangle and suffocate marine life, and those that sink can also smother corals and seagrasses, according to NASA. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is the largest macroalgae bloom in the world. On top of losses from reduced tourism, sargassum has become a significant financial burden, not to mention a threat to public health and marine wildlife. While the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt only emerged recently, it’s clear it won’t be going away anytime soon.