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This year, researchers estimate more than 31 million tons of sargassum is drifting across the Atlantic — the highest on record.

At FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Brian LaPointe, Ph.D., is studying what these blooms mean for Florida’s coastal ecosystems with a new $1.3M grant to test innovative harvesting methods — from drones to dip-nets — to better manage sargassum and explore sustainable uses for the seaweed.