[Coral-List] Publication: Distribution of floating Sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean ....

Wed Aug 10 18:01:08 EDT 2011

From: glispa-discuss at googlegroups.com
[mailto:glispa-discuss at googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Potter at IRF
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 5:33 PM
To: glispa-discuss at googlegroups.com
Cc: GEOSS-Caribbean Group
Subject: Re: [GLISPA Discuss] RE: Can anyone help? Sargassum fluitans
proliferation in Martinique, Guadeloupe

Shyama

That sounds like a good tool --- as I vaguely recall (as a non-technical
type) I think US NOAA uses a standard chlorophyll detection algorithm I
think with MODIS, which may be a bit coarse in geographic resolution, but
would offer the advantage of being able to look at comparative coverages in
past years.

bruce potter

On Aug 10, 2011, at 4:39 PM, Shyama Pagad wrote:

Dear all,

We have a journal article in our folder on the distribution of floating
sargassum in the G of Mexico and the Atlantic. 

J. F. R. Gower & S. A. King (2011): Distribution of floating Sargassum in
the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean mapped using MERIS, International
Journal of Remote Sensing, 32:7, 1917-1929

Abstract

We used satellite imagery from the European Space Agency (ESA) Medium
Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) optical sensor to make the first
mapping of the full distribution and movement of the population of Sargassum
in the Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic. For most of the years for
which we have data (2002 to 2008), the results show a seasonal pattern in
which Sargassum originates in the northwest Gulf of Mexico in the spring of
each year, and is then advected into the Atlantic. The Sargassum appears
east of Cape Hatteras as a ‘Sargassum jet’ in July and ends northeast of the
Bahamas in February of the following year. This pattern is consistent with
historical surveys from ships. MERIS provides a spectral band that greatly
improves the discrimination of floating vegetation from confusing signals
such as cloud and sunglint.

Cheers

Shyama

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Shyama Pagad
Manager,  Information Services
IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Regional Pacific Office
University of Auckland, New Zealand

Tel +64 9 3737599 (X88624) DDI +64 9 9238624   Fax +64 9 3737042
email: s.pagad at auckland.ac.nz
skype: shyama.pagad
www.issg.org/
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The IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group aims to reduce threats
to natural ecosystems and the native species they contain by increasing
awareness of the impacts of invasive species; and of ways to prevent
their spread and, control or eradicate them.
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From: glispa-discuss at googlegroups.com [glispa-discuss at googlegroups.com] on
behalf of BERZINA Anete [Anete.BERZINA at iucn.org]
Sent: 10 August 2011 23:16
To: europe_overseas_forum at googlegroups.com
Cc: ommm at wanadoo.fr; franck.gourdin.carspaw at guadeloupe-parcnational.fr;
glispa-discuss at googlegroups.com
Subject: [GLISPA Discuss] Can anyone help? Sargassum fluitans proliferation
in Martinique, Guadeloupe

Dear Europe Overseas Forum members,

The French local authorities in the Martinique and Guadeloupe are facing a
significant increase of sargassum fluitans in the coastal areas, and on the
beaches too.

Have your territories be affected, too? Do anyone have some satellite images
or current reports on the origin/extent of the phenomenon when available?

See the message below.

Kind regards,

Anete

Anete Berzina

EU Overseas Entities
<http://cms.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/europe/places/overseas>

Communications Assistant

European Union Representative Office
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
64, Boulevard Louis Schmidt, 1040 Brussels, Belgium 
Telephone: +32-2-739-1001; Fax +32-2-732-9499;

www.iucn.org <http://www.iucn.org/> 

Have your say! Join
<http://www.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/europe/places/overseas/
?7087/joineof2> Europe Overseas Forum on biodiversity and climate change

<http://iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/europe/regional_conservatio
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-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of OMMM
Association
Sent: 09 August 2011 18:31
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: [Coral-List] Sargassum fluitans proliferation in the Lesser
Antilles

Dear all

Since May, 2011, a huge amount of pelagic sargassum piles up along the

coast of Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles, and might

affect probably all the islands in the area.

Tons of algae enter the bays and cover the beaches. This accumulation of

floating sargassum can also extends at the surface of the water for tens

of meters in semi closed area, causing environmental problems to very

coastal communities.

We have not seen any comments since this began in May. The algae still

accumulates and cause management problems for local authorities. This is

also the marine turtles' nesting period, what has an incidence on local

decision to remove the algae accumulated on the beaches. Those algae

decomposed and toxic gaz might be produced, as H2S, which is quite low

from the measures that have been done at the moment (0-3 ppm).

Is there any information we could share on the origin of this

proliferation of pelagic sargassum in the area?

Who else in the Lesser Antilles or elsewhere face the same problem?

We do airplane survey and fly over the coastal area to detect piles of

sargassum away offshore looking at possible trajectories.

We are interested in any satellite images that could detect those saragssum.

Thanks

Jean-Philippe Maréchal

****************************************************

Dr Jean-Philippe Maréchal, DSci

Director

Observatoire du Milieu Marin Martiniquais

3 avenue Condorcet

97200 Fort de France

Tel : +33 (5) 96 39 42 16

http://www.ommm.org

GDRI "Coral Reef Biodiversity" - CNRS

Associate Director

http://www.gdri-corail.org

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