Category: Blog

Robert Marsh (University of Southampton) & co-authors Sargassum seaweed proliferating across the tropical Atlantic since 2011 has a particular destination – windward beaches of the Caribbean. The arrival of sargassum spans spring to late summer, with peak inundations progressively later in the season as we move from east to west. The sargassum drifts with westward…

Improvements in remote sensing analysis of sargassum events, and field-based measurements of sargassum influxes are showing the distribution of sargassum around the tropical Atlantic. Yet key questions about sargassum remain unknown which make longer term prediction of sargassum events challenging. For example, little is known about the life cycle of sargassum in the open ocean,…

Within SARTRAC we have been interviewing fishers along the coast of Ghana in Beyin and Newtown, to find out how they are being impacted by sargassum events. Focus groups and questionnaires have been undertaken by the field research team led by Dr Winnie Sowah of the University of Ghana in June 2021, with a second…

This question has been asked by the newly funded ‘MONISARG’ project. MONISARG is a UK NERC funded collaboration between Professor Robert Marsh and Professor Jadu Dash at the University of Southampton, Professor Hazel Oxenford at CERMES in UWI Cave Hill, and Dr Ava Maxam at MGI, UWI Mona (NERC grant ref: NE/W004798/1 https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FW004798%2F1). The SARTRAC…

Data are being collected in Jamaica to assess the impact of ash clouds from the La Soufrière volcanic eruptions on sargassum prevalence around Jamaica, as part of the MONISARG project. Mona GeoInformatics Institute (MGI) in Kingston Jamaica, have conducted five (5) beach surveys evaluating the volume and area of beached Sargassum in August 2021. Monitoring…

A colleague has just returned from a holiday in Antigua and shared photos of the small number of beaches affected by sargassum, on the eastern side of the island. One of the beaches affected is an important turtle nesting beach. He noted his perception of the sargassum, specifically the unpleasant smell from the decomposing sargassum…

On 13-15 July 2021, the University of Southampton More than Maps Team hosted a three-part online workshop series for early career professionals, covering: An introduction to research theories and frameworks, through examining the importance of evidence-based policy in adapting to environmental change An introduction to remote sensing, through a case study of detecting environmental threats…

On 25 June 2021, our More than Maps Team attended Day 4 of the SARTRAC Annual Consortium Meeting #2 “Capacity Building – Outward Facing”. Capacity building is a key component of the SARTRAC programme and the Global Challenges Research Fund (click here for further information). As part of the ACM2 programme, PhD students Marie Schlenker and…

by Emma L. Tompkins, Robert Marsh, Sien van der Plank, Jadu Dash, Nikolaos Skliris, Yanna Fidai Our first UK-based fieldwork involved use of: a bathtub, chicken-wire, Play-Doh and a dip in the sea. Our objective – to make a home-made floating case for GPS trackers for sargassum mat deployment GPS trackers need to be housed…

The next More than Maps workshop series is open for any members of the public interested in attending. We will be covering: Tuesday 13 July, 17.00-18.30 BST Introduction to Research theories and frameworks: The importance of evidence based policy in adapting to environmental change Wednesday 14 July, 17.00-18.30 BST  Introduction to Remote sensing: Detecting environmental threats from…