Bad smells in the Florida Keys are usually from rotting sargassum seaweed and other organic matter on beaches, in the ocean and on the seafloor. Bad smells can also arise from muddy, shallow water environments which are common throughout the Keys. The severity of the smell is heavily dependent on the wind direction.
Why do the Florida Keys smell like sewage?
That ubiquitous smell is decaying sargassum, islands of floating, brown sea algae that is piling up along the beaches of Key West, the Florida peninsula, Mexico and other Caribbean islands. Happens every summer when the winds and currents come from the south.
Why does the beach smell like rotten eggs?
It’s most likely hydrogen sulfide, which has a pungent sulfur odor. Hydrogen sulfide is found in oil fields and other petroleum operations, and can arise from rotting organic matter including seaweed, algae blooms and dead fish.
Why does Florida smell like rotten eggs?
As much as it rains in Florida, the rainwater seeps through the wild and amble vegetation and leaves, picking up the organic residue naturally. After rain soaks into the aquifer, the organic compounds convert to sulfur. The sulfur is what gives the water its nasty smell compared to rotten eggs.
Why does the beach smell like sewage?
Sulfur-Making Algae. The beach’s poetic smell comes, in part, from a not-so-poetically-named sulfur compound called dimethyl sulfide, or DMS.
Why does Key West smell like eggs?
Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed that is washing up on beaches in Florida. As it rots, it gives off a substance called hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide has a very unpleasant odor, like rotten eggs.
Can you swim in the water in Key West?
Boasting temperate waters and more than 3,400 hours of annual sunshine, the beaches of Key West are some of the most popular destinations on this tropical island paradise. You can enjoy the sun, sand and warm water as well as a variety of activities like swimming, snorkeling and fishing.
Why does Siesta Key beach stink?
Bad smells in the Florida Keys are usually from rotting sargassum seaweed and other organic matter on beaches, in the ocean and on the seafloor. Bad smells can also arise from muddy, shallow water environments which are common throughout the Keys. The severity of the smell is heavily dependent on the wind direction.
Why does the ocean smell like fish at night?
The smell comes from a gas produced by genes recently identified by researchers in ocean-dwelling bacteria. Understanding how the odorous gas is produced could be important because it is implicated in cloud formation over the ocean and helps some animals find food.
What do the Everglades smell like?
Their stench is described as being similar to rotten eggs or methane gas. Skunk ape experts–yes, there are those who claim to be skunk ape experts–say their odor stems from hiding in alligator dens that are filled with swamp gases and rotting animal caracasses.
Why is Florida tap water so gross?
This is an ion in chlorine, which municipalities use often used to disinfect water. Instead of chloride, some areas use chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia. Regardless, chloride gives water a salty taste. Chloramine gives water a bleachy taste.
Why does tap water in Florida stink?
Water in Florida is contaminated with contaminants and can be unpleasant to taste or smell. Most of the bad smells and tastes can be attributed to chlorine, metals, and sulfate in Florida’s drinking water.
Why do I smell like pennies when I sweat?
But if you notice a metallic or ammonia-like smell on your sweat, it may be due to what you’re not eating. When long-distance runners and other athletes notice a metallic odor during or after a workout, it may be because their bodies are burning protein rather than glucose for fuel.
Where does Key West sewage go?
Waste water is treated to advanced standards and discharged into a deep injection well located on the plant site. The treatment plant was constructed in 1989; designed and permitted to produce secondary quality effluent at a rate of 10 million gallons per day ( MGD ).
How far away can you smell the ocean?
Sea spray has been detected in the middle of the United States, some 900 miles (1,400 kilometers) from any ocean, a new study says.
Why are chickens everywhere in Key West?
The story goes that Cuban settlers brought the chickens to the island, not only as a source of food, but also for sport. While hens were prized for their eggs, the roosters were prized for their cockfighting, making for good back-alley entertainment.
Why are there no waves in Key West?
The barrier reef does it’s job of protecting the Florida Keys from large ocean waves. There is no surfing in Key West because there is no surf. Without those big waves hitting the Keys, the mechanism required for creating sand naturally is missing. Most beaches in the Keys are man-made for this reason.
Is the 7 mile bridge scary?
The new seven mile bridge is so much better to travel on than back in the late 60’s and early 70’s bridge! One lane each way. Very scary!
Why are there no beaches in the Keys?
The Keys don’t have wide sandy beaches because the coral reefs we enjoy as snorkelers and scuba divers prevent the erosion and sand from building up along the shore. So while the beaches aren’t what make the Keys special, there are still some pretty special beaches in the Keys. You just have to know where to go.
Which Florida Key has the prettiest water?
The best beaches for swimming in the Keys are in the middle Keys (midway between Key Largo and Key West) Bahia Honda State Park between Marathon and Big Pine Key has the largest sandy beach areas with several good locations for swimming; those areas are some of the only smooth, sandy bottom swimming beach areas in the
Are there crocodiles in Key West Florida?
“There have been crocodiles in the Keys for a long time. They’re more common in the Upper Keys, but they have been spotted as far south as Big Pine Key and the Dry Tortugas,” said Lindsey Hord, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s crocodile response coordinator.