<em>Sargassum</em> Watch Warns of Incoming Seaweed

Abstract

The Sargassum Watch System processes satellite data and feeds results to a Web portal, giving decision makers timely information on seaweed location and warnings for potential beaching events.

Predicting Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea from MODIS observations

“…Nevertheless, as Sargassum blooms are unlikely to diminish in the coming years, the simple forecast system developed here will provide timely information to the Caribbean residents and management agencies on the potentials of Sargassum blooms with several months of lead time. Decision makers can benefit from this prediction in several aspects, including improved planning for cleanup, commercial use, and tourism [ Hu et al ., ]. For example, at the time of this writing, a Sargassum bloom was found in the CWA hotspot region in February 2017; thus, we predict blooms in the eastern CS in summer 2017.…”

“…Similar beaching events have also been reported in western Africa and northern Brazil [ Oyesiku and Egunyomi , ; Széchy et al ., ]. Although pelagic Sargassum provides an important ecological function in the open ocean [ Council , ; Rooker et al ., ; Witherington et al ., ; Lapointe et al ., ; Doyle and Franks , ], large amount of Sargassum deposition on beaches can negatively impact the local economy, ecology, and environment [ Siuda et al ., ; Hu et al ., ]. Usually, massive Sargassum deposition on beaches has to be physically removed [ Webster and Linton , ; Partlow and Martinez , ], which represents a management burden as there is often no advanced warning on the amount of Sargassum or the timing of beaching events.…”

Remote Sensing of Sargassum Biomass, Nutrients, and Pigments

“…It serves as a critical habitat and refuge to various marine organisms (Council, 2002;Doyle & Franks, 2015;Hu et al, 2016;Lapointe et al, 2014;Rooker et al, 2006;Witherington et al, 2012), and Sargassum sinking can potentially contribute to the carbon input to the deep-sea communities (Baker et al, 2017;Johnson & Richardson, 1977;Krause-Jensen & Duarte, 2016;Rowe & Staresinic, 1979). It serves as a critical habitat and refuge to various marine organisms (Council, 2002;Doyle & Franks, 2015;Hu et al, 2016;Lapointe et al, 2014;Rooker et al, 2006;Witherington et al, 2012), and Sargassum sinking can potentially contribute to the carbon input to the deep-sea communities (Baker et al, 2017;Johnson & Richardson, 1977;Krause-Jensen & Duarte, 2016;Rowe & Staresinic, 1979).…”

“…Because Sargassum has enhanced reflectance in the near-infrared spectral bands (this is often called red-edge reflectance), satellite and airborne instruments have been used to detect and quantify Sargassum (Dierssen et al, 2015;Gower & King, 2011;Hu, 2009;Hu et al, 2015Hu et al, , 2016. However, due to a lack of field or laboratory measurements, nearly all remote sensing studies have focused on the areal density or relative amount (Gower et al, 2013;Gower & King, 2011;.…”

Pelagic Sargassum in the Tropical North Atlantic

“…Winds and ocean currents aggregate the Sargassum into large neustonic rafts tens of meters wide (Marmorino et al 2011) and weed lines (windrows) that extend across the ocean surface for tens of kilometers (Butler et al 1983, Hu et al 2105, Hu et al 2016. These Sargassum features provide habitat for a large and diverse assemblage of marine organisms (Coston-Clements et al 1991, Wells and Rooker 2004, Hoffmayer et al 2005, Hallett, 2011, Huffard et al 2014) but may also raft invasive species.…”