Wellsian?

This red seaweed - at least, I supposed it to be seaweed - on the Toward shore today reminded me of the ending of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. It was restricted to this one small bay, and it had the most extraordinarily pervading smell, not unpleasant but ... different.

Anyone like to explain to me what causes this, or what it is?

Oh, and if midge dancer happens to read this, I thought of you while I pondered my possessive punctuation!