Sargassum Monitoring®

The 2025 sargassum season in Mexico, particularly along the Riviera Maya and Caribbean coast, is shaping up to be one of the most severe on record, with evidence suggesting it surpasses previous years in scale. Satellite data from the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab indicates that the April 2025 sargassum bloom in the Atlantic and Caribbean reached an unprecedented 31 million tons, 40% higher than the previous record set in June 2022. This is significantly larger than the 13 million tons recorded in 2023, which was itself a notable year.[](openjaw.com/newsroom/tourism…)[](cnn.com/2025/05/15/climate/s…)[](foxweather.com/earth-space/b…) Compared to historical trends, the total sargassum volume in 2025 is particularly alarming in the eastern Caribbean and western Atlantic, where levels are 200% higher than averages from 2011 to 2024. In the Mexican Caribbean, arrivals began earlier than usual, with Tulum reporting a 50% increase in sargassum collection in January and February 2025 (79 and 59 metric tons, respectively) compared to 2024 (36 and 50 metric tons). Experts, including Brigitta Ine Van Tussenbroek, warn that 2025 could rival or exceed the critical crisis of 2015, driven by factors like a potential La Niña climate pattern, which may amplify sargassum growth.[](mundodeportivo.com/us/en/202…)[](mexiconewsdaily.com/news/sar…)[](sargassummonitoring.com/en/2…) Previous peak years, such as 2015, 2018, and 2019, saw severe inundations, with 2018 recording up to two cubic meters of seaweed per linear meter of beach in some areas. However, 2024 was relatively mild, with only 37,000 tons collected in Quintana Roo, partly due to El Niño conditions suppressing blooms. In contrast, projections for 2025 estimate Quintana Roo could see 30,000 to 40,000 additional tons, potentially exceeding the 54,000 tons collected in 2022.[](earthjournalism.net/stories/…)[](sargassummonitoring.com/en/2…)[](tulumtimes.com/sargassum-for…) While the exact impact depends on ocean currents and nutrient availability, the current data strongly suggests 2025 is worse than any prior year, including the notable crises of 2015 and 2018, due to the record-breaking offshore biomass and early, heavy landings. Posts on X from @SargaMonitoring in May 2025 further confirm ongoing heavy arrivals in areas like Playa del Carmen and Cancun, reflecting real-time severity.