Science Saturday Ӏ Sargassum: What’s Up with That Seaweed?
Not one, but two fellows working with DPNR’s Division of Territorial Parks and Protected Areas hosted the most recent Science Saturday. June’s guest, Helen Holt, joined TPPA co-hosts NOAA Fellow Kenneth “Kenny” Douyon and Navigating Home Fellow Maura Moneé Richardson for a discussion about sargassum and its impact across the territory. Helen is a recent graduate from the University of the Virgin Islands’ (UVI) Master of Marine and Environmental Science program and works with the Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative (CWORI) on their sargassum research.
Free-floating sargassum, although it may seem to be a nuisance as it accumulates in our beautiful waters and along shorelines, provides a complex habitat for a variety of species. These habitat-creating rafts of sargassum can be several miles long and form a variety of shapes. Beneath and within these rafts, numerous species of animals live and thrive.
Helen addressed several environmental factors that impact sargassum accumulations. Warming waters and decaying sargassum building up on beaches can cause unpleasant odors and release harmful compounds that affect habitat viability. Additionally, she described how a combination of shifting ocean currents and nutrient inputs has contributed to the formation of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, which lies outside the usual Sargasso Sea region in the North Atlantic. The Virgin Islands and other Caribbean islands are now being significantly impacted by Sargassum, unlike in previous years.
Cleaning up sargassum from our oceans and shorelines is not as easy as one might think. During removal, sand may also be inadvertently disturbed, leading to unstable shorelines. Efforts to manage sargassum must balance concerns about the health of coral reefs and seagrass beds with the need to leave federally protected habitats intact.
Curious to learn what else Kenny, Maura, and Helen uncovered during their exploration of sargassum data? Click the link below to watch the full video.
Science Saturday, a monthly Facebook LIVE event, airs on the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. Watch the full interview on the Department of Planning and Natural Resources Facebook page or the Science Saturday YouTube playlist
