“At MGI we have been using satellite data to track the sargassum. We’ve created maps of monthly sargassum beaching from 2018-2020. From month to month, the location of the sargassum beaching changes significantly. There are so many different factors affecting sargassum beaching, for example shoreline, wind, wave, and tide dynamics. We want to find out…
Author: Admin SARTRAC
Dr Janice Cumberbatch Podcast
“When Sargassum first arrived in the Caribbean, we were very concerned about its impact, especially on tourism and fisheries. But now we have started to see entrepreneurs developing innovative products from Sargassum, such as fertilisers, pharmaceuticals, and biogas. Here we see an ecological risk that is being turned into an opportunity. Over the next couple…
Prof Hazel Oxenford Podcast
“There are so many different species of sargassum; if we are able to identify the morphotypes at sea, that might enable us to track where the different species are coming from. The most exciting part of SARTRAC is working with partners in Jamaica and West Africa. We are hoping to improve the accuracy of our…
Prof. Mona Webber Podcast
“Each type of Sargassum could produce completely different chemical compounds which is shown by colleagues (Davis et al. 2020) working here in Jamaica and at University of York. What is also interesting is that when combined (species and types together) the biomass can be used for different purposes (including agricultural applications), which augers well for…
Ms Ajani Bissick Podcast
“We don’t yet know which remote sensing algorithms and datasets work best to detect Sargassum for the Caribbean and West Africa. I’m really looking forward to seeing which algorithms and datasets work best and why. Since I’ve worked on sargassum, it’s been interesting to see how different countries have used sargassum. Countries in the Caribbean…
Introducing: PhycoMExUK
SARTRAC recently had the opportunity to meet Amy Pilsbury and Mike Allen from the PhycoMExUK team, and to learn more about their work to turn seaweed into fertilisers. The focus of SARTRAC is on transformational adaption and generating equitable opportunities for the poorest of the poor from Sargassum, and the work includes case study sites…
More than Maps workshops
The More than Maps public engagement initiative aims to share replicable and open-access skills in mapping and social science analysis, to empower students and young professionals in research supporting climate change adaptation.
More than Maps Workshop at SOTSEF 2021
On 9th March 2021, our More than Maps team delivered a workshop on the role of social sciences in climate change adaptation at the Southampton Science and Engineering Festival (SOTSEF). SOTSEF is the University of Southampton’s annual award-winning science festival which showcases word-class research in STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) to the public.…
Dr Thierry Tonon Podcast
“It is surprising how little is known about the compounds that are available within Sargassum biomass. We are still working to see how to valorise this biomass to create benefits for the Caribbean and West Africa. Over the next two years, we need to better understand whether these Sargassum blooms are going to continue –…
Dr. Philip-Neri Jayson-Quashigah
“Sargassum is really affecting livelihoods of poorer communities along the coast of Ghana. When there is an abundance of Sargasum, fishers have been prevented from fishing, or have found that they only bring back seaweed, not fish. This creates a really hard time for fishers who have no other livelihood options. In the next couple…