Barbados' coastline is diverse. From rocky cliffs and rough ocean to idyllic stretches of sand with calm water. The beaches on the west and southwest coast are sandy and have the calmest waters. The Atlantic side of the island, dotted with rock formations, is windier and characterized by strong currents and large waves.
Like in the rest of the Caribbean region, large amounts of sargassum—type of seaweed—from the Sargasso Sea wash up on the beaches of Barbados. Since 2011, smelly algae have covered beaches, attracting insects, damaging fragile coastal and coral ecosystems, and negatively impacting tourism and fishing industries. Workers are increasingly raking sargassum from hotel beaches and sending it to landfills, but huge piles of decomposing sargassum are accumulating elsewhere, transforming beautiful beaches into a completely unattractive coastline. These are the visible effects of climate change.
