The Sarcastic Sargassum

The Future of Sargassum             As time progresses so does technology. This allows us to make predictions about changes and patterns that may occur in the future. In this case, the Sargassum Early Advisory System (SEAS), can make many predictions about where the seaweed will wash up within two weeks of it’s generation in the ocean. This is done using NASA’s Landsat imagery system. This system has a 98% accuracy rate. It can detect the area of the ocean where sargassum is being produced and estimate the path it will take before washing up on the shores of the Caribbean. The seaweed is transported via the winds and ocean currents.  Also, with advancements in technology we can have the use or incorporation of seaweed into basic amenities. An artist’s rendition of Landsat 8 (LDCM); Credit: NASA           The production of seaweed is affected by climate change which is an ongoing problem in...

How to Predict the Future             Based on all the information that has been produced from this blog we can be access the information we have learned to come to a conclusion about the future of sargassum in the Caribbean. We know what causes the sargassum serge and what to expect in the incoming years.              Also, we learned that we can track the path that the seaweed travels to better understand its migration patterns.                         All this and more will be discuss in the next blog post             Credit: MMCTSU .

Trinidad is Saving the Turtles In October 2015, forty-two turtles of varies species were found dead under two to three feet of seaweed along the shores of Barbados. This species included Hawksbill, Leatherback and Green Turtles. However, there were no reports of turtles being killing by the seaweed in Trinidad but many of them had to return to the water in search of a new nesting ground since the beaches were covered in mounds of seaweed. Upon this horrendous discovery, the government of Trinidad and Tobago took action to protect these turtles from the smothering effects of the seaweed.             In Trinidad there are many hotspots for turtle nesting along the east coast, these beaches include Grand Rivière, Mathura and Manzanilla/ Mayaro. In areas like Manzanilla and Mayaro the sand is compact making it simple to use an excavator to extract seaweed from the beaches, clearing the area for turtles to nest. However a prob...

We Explore Deeper           In this blog, so far, the origin of Sargassum Seaweed has been explored, the reason for the influx of the seaweed in the Caribbean has been explained, the negative effects of its presence has been examined and the possible uses of the seaweed have been elaborated on. These are all integral aspects of understanding the pros and cons of having sargassum seaweed on our nation’s shores.           In the next blog post we shall take a look at the measures that have been taken by Trinidad and Tobago to effectively deal with sargassum seaweed when it comes to turtle nesting, specifically, the leatherback turtles. Video showing the plan that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has put in place (2015) Credit: CTV