OFF to the tropics for your holidays? You might have trouble finding the
beach, and pollution from increased tourism could be to blame. Researchers in
Florida have found evidence that effluent is preventing marine algae from
replenishing sand at Negril, one of Jamaica’s main resorts. They believe that
other beaches, including some in Barbados, could be disappearing for the same
reason.
Halimeda, a thick, crusty alga, produces 80 per cent of the sand on
Negril’s beaches. Like corals, the algae build a skeleton of calcium carbonate.
Eventually this skeleton disintegrates to form sand. Halimeda and
related algae supply varying amounts…
