Why Is NASA Tracking Seaweed From Space 

Large amounts of a brown seaweed, called Sargassum, have been washing up on Caribbean shorelines. Normally found in the open ocean, Sargassum causes a whole host of issues for coastal ecosystems and communities. Historically, this marine algae was found only in scattered patches outside its main range. But in the winter of 2009 to 2010, unusual wind patterns pushed water eastward from the Sargasso Sea towards the Strait of Gibraltar. Some of that water was pulled southward along the coast of Africa by the Canary Current, delivering a large Sargassum population to the tropical Atlantic, where it quickly established itself as a new, seperate population of seaweed – now called the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt. 

Roy Armstrong, a professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico, has been trying to understand the impacts of Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean. "Sargassum is an essential habitat in the open ocean; it provides shelter for turtles and many fishes," he saidaid. "Problem is, when fueled by excess nutrients, Sargassum can quickly grow and upend local ecology." 

Caribbean governments are searching for ways to estimate the size and trajectory of blooms, so they can predict their behavior — and potentially intercept blooms before they reach the shore. This is where NASA's satellite data is helpful. Instruments on board satellites can help detect the signatures of large blooms as they move across the ocean. Researchers combine these data with computer models to accurately predict the movement of Sargassum populations. "The remote sensing technology of NASA is very important — first, to detect Sargassum, and then to track it," said Roy. "And this way we will have a pretty good idea if a large patch has the potential of accumulating on the coast and impacting the marine ecosystems." 


For more information: 
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14692/ 

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