Instrument readings, laboratory results, before/after monitoring, satellite data and reproducible analysis.
Evidence library
Every claim carries a source, a date and a class.
This campaign will be read by scientists and agency staff who know this subject better than most of our supporters. So we publish the counterexamples, we publish the limits, and we publish corrections with the previous wording intact.
Taxonomy
Five evidence classes
Agency guidance, fish-kill report, contract, invoice, public meeting, permit, cleanup log or event notice.
Named or documented witnesses plus photographs, records, independent accounts or official context.
A witness's direct experience, clearly separated from diagnosis or scientific measurement.
A credible lead that still requires records, interviews, measurement or independent corroboration.
Claims register
What we assert, and on what basis
C01Measured evidenceAtlantic basin / Southeast Florida · June 2026
USF's satellite record documented severe southeast Florida beaching during the 2026 season, with the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt at extraordinary abundance.
[S01] University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Laboratory
C02Official recordU.S. South Atlantic · 2003-2012 rulemaking, still in force
Pelagic Sargassum harvest is prohibited in South Atlantic federal waters south of the North Carolina-South Carolina boundary; north of it, harvest is tightly limited by area, season, observer, gear and annual-weight restrictions.
[S02] NOAA Fisheries[S05] NOAA Fisheries[S06] NOAA Fisheries
C03Measured evidenceBig Pine Key, Florida Keys · FIU monitoring report
After canal removal at Big Pine Key Canal 266, organic content fell from 31.9% to 1.0% and average sediment depth from 154 cm to 40 cm; conditions later moved back toward baseline.
C04Measured evidenceSouth Florida · 2025-2026
Decomposing Sargassum emits measurable sulfur compounds, and stranding studies document arsenic mobilization and enterococci in beach wrack.
[S12] University of Miami[S13] University of Miami / FIU[S14] Environmental Monitoring and Assessment[S15] Exposure and Health
C05Measured evidenceMexican Caribbean; Puerto Rico · Peer-reviewed field studies
Brown-tide events have caused severe documented seagrass and marine-animal impacts in the Mexican Caribbean and in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico.
C06Measured evidenceFlorida Keys · 2025
A Mote Marine Laboratory experiment using healthy living Sargassum collected one to five miles offshore found mixed coral responses and no final growth difference. It did not reproduce a decomposing, oxygen-depleted brown tide.
C07Measured evidenceU.S. Caribbean and Florida · NCCOS analysis
NOAA NCCOS modeling quantifies multimillion-dollar economic impacts to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and coastal Florida.
C08Official recordNorth Miami Beach, Florida · DOH evaluation
The Florida Department of Health evaluated North Miami Beach complaints about rotting-seaweed odor and rashes, advising respiratory-sensitive people to avoid strong odors while judging long-term open-air risk minimal.
Limits
Open questions we have not answered
- Event-specific coral and seagrass change attributable to a single inundation.
- Ambient gas exposure near homes and workplaces during major events.
- Repeated-exposure health outcomes for cleanup workers and canal-front residents.
- Standardized business-loss accounting across hotels, restaurants and charters.
- Comparative environmental performance of offshore, nearshore, beach and no-action strategies.
Practice
Journalistic standard
- Preserve original recordings, notes, files, metadata and source contact information.
- Distinguish direct observation from interpretation and repeat what the witness actually knows.
- Seek independent witnesses, official reports, photographs and comparison locations.
- Publish meaningful counterexamples and spatial variability instead of selecting only the worst conditions.
- Correct the record when later measurements or records change the interpretation.
Governance
How this site handles information
| Area | Rule |
|---|---|
| Claims | Store exact wording, source, geography, date, unit, evidence class, reviewer and last-reviewed date. |
| Corrections | Publish the previous wording, corrected wording, reason, date and source. |
| Stories | Preserve originals privately; publish only consented, moderated versions; show evidence class. |
| Health information | Collect the minimum necessary; separate identity; limit retention; never publish diagnoses without explicit authorization. |
| Images | Record creator, capture date, location precision, edits, rights and whether documentary or conceptual. |
| Supporter counts | Email-verify, deduplicate, disclose methodology and separate individuals from organizations. |
| Donations | Disclose legal entity, tax status, fees, refunds, recurring terms, use of funds and conflicts. |
| Security | Use encryption, access controls, backups, deletion processes, bot protection and a security contact. |
| Accessibility | WCAG-oriented design, captions, alt text, keyboard navigation, readable contrast and Spanish equivalents. |