(FILES) This underwater photograph taken on April 16, 2023, shows a belt of Sargassum seaweed drifting near the shore in Petit Canal on France's Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. For the past dozen years, waves of Atlantic Sargasum belts have been washing ashore in the Caribbean an region. This floating layer of seaweed can reach a thickness of 70-80 cm and releases Hydrogen sulfide (Sulfur, H2S) as it decomposes on the shore - a gas which can affect health in some cases and oxydizes domestic equipment. The proliferation of sargassum smothers biodiversity and has also impacted local economy and tourism. (Photo by Olivier MORIN / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)