Satellite images suggest a new Sargassum source region in 2011

Abstract

In the summer of 2011, a major ‘Sargassum event’ brought large amounts of seaweed onto the beaches of the islands of the eastern Caribbean with significant effects on local tourism. We present satellite observations showing that the event had its origin north of the mouth of the Amazon in an area not previously associated with Sargassum growth. A significant concentration of Sargassum was detected in April, when it was centred at about 7° N latitude and 45° W longitude. By July it had spread to the coast of Africa in the east and to the Lesser Antilles and the Caribbean in the west. We have previously used images from MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) to show the value of satellite observations in tracking patterns of Sargassum. For the years 2003–2010, we were able to determine the seasonal distribution over the range of 20°–40° N latitude and 100°–40° W longitude covering the ‘Sargasso Sea’ region of the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. In 2011, satellite data showed a large shift in the distribution, whose cause is unclear.

Acknowledgements

MODIS satellite images are provided by NASA. MERIS satellite images are provided by the European Space Agency (ESA). Global data are provided by ESA's Grid Processing on Demand (GPOD) system. We are grateful to John Ryan of MBARI for first putting us in touch with observers in the Caribbean, including Tanya Clovis and Robin Mahon in Barbados, and to Richard Roach for allowing us to use the photograph shown as figure 1.