Climate-driven golden tides are reshaping coastal communities in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Hendy, Ian; Woolford, Katherine; Vincent-Piper, Alice; Burt, Owen; Schaefer, M.; Cragg, Simon M.; Sanchez-Navarro, Paul; Ragazzola, Federica

doi:10.1016/j.ecochg.2021.100033

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…5A – 5C ), large mats may never form or be sustained because insufficient material is available on a local scale. Extremely dense macroalgal aggregations, such as the vast quantities washing into Caribbean bays from the GASB, can have negative impacts to coastal ecosystems (reduced light penetration, lowered seawater dissolved oxygen levels, decaying material; Chavez et al, 2020 ; Hendy et al, 2021 ). Whether the same ecologically detrimental effects occur offshore beneath massive mats is as yet unstudied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since 2011, annually recurring holopelagic Sargassum coastal inundation events across the equatorial Atlantic have resulted in negative economic and ecological impacts ( van Tussenbroek et al, 2017 ; Bartlett & Elmer, 2021 ; Hendy et al, 2021 ; Oxenford et al, 2021 ; Maurer et al, 2021 ), thus prompting advances in satellite detection and transport models for prediction of beaching times and locations. Originally, the Maximum Chlorophyll Index (MCI; only available for MERIS and OLCI sensors) was used in remote detection of floating Sargassum ( Gower et al, 2006 ; Gower & King, 2011 ), but this index does not differentiate macroalgae from intense phytoplankton blooms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In situ observation of holopelagic Sargassum distribution and aggregation state across the entire North Atlantic from 2011 to 2020

Goodwin

Siuda

Schell

2022

PeerJ

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Between 2011 and 2020, 6,790 visual observations of holopelagic Sargassum were recorded across the North Atlantic Ocean to describe regional distribution, presence, and aggregation state at hourly and 10 km scales. Influences of oceanographic region and wind/sea conditions as well as temporal trends were considered; marine megafauna associates documented the ecological value of aggregations. Holopelagic Sargassum was present in 64% of observations from the western North Atlantic. Dispersed holopelagic Sargassum fragments and clumps were found in 97% of positive observations whereas aggregated windrows (37%) and mats (1%) were less common. Most field observations noted holopelagic Sargassum in quantities below the AFAI algorithm detection limit for the MODIS sensor. Aggregation state patterns were similar across regions; windrow proportion increased with higher wind speeds. In 8 of 10 years in the Sargasso Sea holopelagic Sargassum was found in over 65% of observations. In contrast, the Tropical Atlantic and Caribbean Sea exhibited greater inter-annual variability (1–88% and 11–78% presence, respectively) that did not align with extremes in central Atlantic holopelagic Sargassum areal coverage determined from satellite observations. Megafauna association patterns varied by taxonomic group. While some study regions were impacted by holopelagic Sargassum dynamics in the equatorial Atlantic, the Sargasso Sea had consistently high presence and operated independently. Field observations capture important dynamics occurring at fine spatiotemporal scales, including transient aggregation processes and ecological value for megafauna associates, and therefore remain essential to future studies of holopelagic Sargassum.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In situ observation of holopelagic Sargassum distribution and aggregation state across the entire North Atlantic from 2011 to 2020

Goodwin

Siuda

Schell

2022

PeerJ

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“…The nearshore floating sargassum causes changes in the benthic community structure and function, with the coral reefs and seagrass nursery habitats being the most impacted. Under sargassum mats, dissolved oxygen can reach anoxic levels (0.5 mg/L) and light incidence can reduce by 73%, while temperature could be 5ºC warmer; all these changes impacted negatively (seven-fold decrease) the primary productivity of the seagrass Thalassia testidium [26]. Seagrasses protect the coasts from erosion and provide nurseries for fish, enhancing biodiversity.…”

Section: Figure 1 Generic Scheme Of a Value Chain Using Sargassum Bio...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sargassum in Mexico: from environmental problem to valuable resource

López-Contreras

Valenzuela²,

García³

et al. 2022

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In recent years, large amounts of floating species of Sargassum seaweeds have arrived on the coasts and beaches of some Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, Northern Brazil, and West Africa. These beaching events appear to be recurring almost every year and cause major environmental, health, and economic problems in the affected areas. These Sargassum influxes threaten the already fragile coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds; they also disrupt the livelihoods of communities, especially those associated with the tourism and fishing sectors. This study aimed to develop strategies for valorization of the sargassum biomass that arrives to the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. The present study is the result of the project "ValoSarg", financed by the Dutch program Kansen voor Morgen in 2021. This project was carried out as a collaboration between Mexican researchers at IPICYT, Wageningen University and Research and the company AllOptimal b.v. The project was coordinated by Wageningen University and Research under the supervision of the Agriculture advisor of the Dutch Embassy in Mexico.This report includes a compilation of data on sargassum origin, composition, policies, management, and uses from a variety of resources, with a focus on the Mexican situation. We have consulted scientific literature, (governmental) public reports, internet resources; and discussed with parties involved in sargassum research or use, in order to formulate strategies for building new value chains for valorization of sargassum biomass.Besides the fundamental research by Universities or Research Centers on many sargassum-related topics, such as biology, biorefinery or applications, in Mexico, several commercial activities relate to sargassum harvesting, valorization and innovations. Most of these activities are being developed by small companies Sargassum as feedstock for biogas production 3.1

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“…Small quantities arriving on the beach give environmental benefits, such as dune stabilisation [3,4,9,11,12]. Nevertheless, beaches across the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico have experienced massive inundations of pelagic Sargassum since 2011, negatively impacting the environment, human health and the local economies [3,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Removing and disposing of Sargassum is costly [3,9,11,22,23] and applications that generate revenue are being researched [3,4,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biosorption Potential of Sargassum for Removal of Aqueous Dye Solutions

et al. 2022

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Sargassum muticum is an invasive species to the coasts of the British Isles, mainland Europe and North America, with negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Pelagic Sargassum inundations on the beaches of the Caribbean have also been causing adverse health, ecological and economic effects. The finding of commercial uses of these biomasses may alleviate the costs of removal and control. Both pelagic Sargassum and S. muticum could be low-cost biosorbents for removing aqueous cationic dyes but may not be suitable for anionic substances without modification. This study found that a Sargassum biomass could remove up to 93% of methylene blue and that the species, concentration and treatment (CaCl2) were all statistically highly significant factors (p < 0.001) in its removal.

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Climate-driven golden tides are reshaping coastal communities in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cited by 10 publications

References 59 publications

In situ observation of holopelagic Sargassum distribution and aggregation state across the entire North Atlantic from 2011 to 2020

In situ observation of holopelagic Sargassum distribution and aggregation state across the entire North Atlantic from 2011 to 2020

Sargassum in Mexico: from environmental problem to valuable resource

Biosorption Potential of Sargassum for Removal of Aqueous Dye Solutions

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