Scientists say a record amount of seaweed hit the Caribbean and nearby areas in May

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Caribbean hit by record 38 million metric tons of sargassum in May

Algae harms tourism, marine life, and releases harmful gases

Cleanup efforts costly and labor-intensive, affecting local economies

Scientists unsure why sargassum blooms continue growing year after year

A record amount of sargassum piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, and more is expected this month, according to a new report.

The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close.

The amount — 38 million metric tons — is the biggest quantity of algae observed across the Caribbean Sea, the west