Sargassum Watch from Space

Chuanmin Hu,  University of South Florida,  huc@usf.edu (Presenter)
Brian B Barnes,  University of South Florida,  bbarnes4@usf.edu
Yuyuan Xie,  University of South Florida,  yuyuan@usf.edu
Jennifer P Cannizzaro,  University of South Florida,  jpatch@usf.edu
David English,  University of South Florida,  denglish@usf.edu

Pelagic Sargassum is a brown macroalgae abundant in the Sargasso Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Since 2011, a continuous Sargassum belt extending from west Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is found to be recurrent every summer since 2011 (except 2013), causing many environmental, ecological, and economical problems in many nations and coastal states. Here, we report a satellite based Sargassum Watch System (SaWS) that has been developed under NASA support as a decision support tool. The SaWS generates customized near real-time satellite imagery to monitor and track large Sargassum mats. Integration of surface currents in Google Earth makes it possible to forecast short-term Sargassum movement. Based on SaWS, monthly bulletins of current and future Sargassum outlooks are generated and distributed to various stakeholders. Upon project completion, SaWS is at the Application Readiness Level 9: sustained operation and application to benefit many stakeholders. Further research is required to understand bloom mechanisms to improve Sargassum forecasts, and to develop better data products to improve monitoring in nearshore waters.

Poster Location ID: 3-8

Presentation Type: Poster

Session: Poster Session 3

Session Date: Thu (May 11) 3:00-5:00 PM

CCE Program: BDEC