ABSTRACT

Pelagic Sargassum is a buoyant macroalgae that forms rafts at the ocean surface and serves as a biologically rich habitat for hundreds of diverse marine species. Since 2011, massive blooms of Sargassum have occurred in the tropical Atlantic and swept through the western tropical Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. These recurring annual events have caused significant disruptions to coastal communities throughout the region, negatively impacting human health, tourism, fishing, navigation, and nearshore ecosystems. We present here the Sargassum Inundation Report (SIR), a product that uses satellite-based methodology to estimate and predict the future coastal inundation of pelagic Sargassum. Results from one year of SIRs show strong spatiotemporal differences in the potential of coastal inundation across the Intra-American Seas, and provide a comprehensive method for assessing its geographic distribution and temporal variation. Comparisons of SIRs to opportunistically collected photographs indicate a qualitative concordance between satellite and in situ observations. This work highlights the value of satellite observations, basin-wide and seasonal monitoring, and emphasises the need for sub-regional and weekly forecasting. SIRs show considerable promise as a tool that can eventually incorporate improved spatiotemporal resolution Sargassum imagery, ocean circulation, wind, and wave conditions to forecast the movement of Sargassum into coastal areas.

摘要

远洋马尾藻是一种漂浮的大型藻类，在海洋表面形成筏，是数百种不同海洋物种的生物丰富栖息地。自2011年以来，马尾藻在热带大西洋大量繁殖，席卷热带大西洋西部、加勒比海和墨西哥湾。这些反复发生的年度事件对整个地区的沿海社区造成了严重破坏，对人类健康、旅游业、渔业、航海和近岸生态系统产生了负面影响。我们在此介绍马尾藻淹没报告 (SIR)，这是一种使用基于卫星的方法来估计和预测远洋马尾藻未来沿海淹没的产品. 一年 SIR 的结果显示，美洲内海沿海洪水泛滥的可能性存在强烈的时空差异，并提供了一种评估其地理分布和时间变化的综合方法。将 SIR 与随机收集的照片进行比较表明卫星和现场观察之间存在定性一致性。这项工作突出了卫星观测、全流域和季节性监测的价值，并强调了分区域和每周预报的必要性。SIR 作为一种工具显示出相当大的前景，它最终可以结合改进的时空分辨率马尾藻图像、海洋环流、风和波浪条件来预测马尾藻向沿海地区的移动。