sufficient light, fouling boat propellers, and entangling marine turtles and mammals. With every Sargassum inundation event, large amounts of nutrients are transported from the open ocean to coastal environments. This greatly increases nutrient transport, and its effect on marine and coastal ecosystems are still unknown. Understanding the causes and drivers of Sargassum inundations is critical as they become more commonplace. Nutrient factors The Sargasso Sea, a known source area for Sargassum blooms, is classified as an oligotrophic region. With warm, oxygen-poor waters and low nutrient contents, biomass production is limited by what little nutrients are present. Historically, low nutrient levels in the Sargasso Sea have limited sargassum production; however, new influxes of nitrogen and phosphorus are driving factors in increased biomass production. Recent studies have found three likely drivers of nutrient influx linked to increasing Sargassum biomass: an increase in nutrient output from the Amazon River, increased nutrients in the Gulf of Mexico, and coastal upwelling off the West African Coast which transfers deep nutrient-rich waters to the upper water column where sargassum resides. Nutrient output from the Amazon River has been shown to have a direct, yet delayed, effect on large Sargassum inundation events, with events occurring one to two years following years of high nutrient output. Phosphates and iron transported via the trade winds from North Africa have been reported to have a fertilizing effect on sargassum growth; however, further data is required to understand its role in causing inundating Sargassum blooms. Researchers globally agree that continued research is required to quantify the effect of marine chemical changes and other environmental factors in the recent increase in Sargassum biomass and inundation events. Currents and winds The physical drivers behind Sargassum inundation events are prevailing winds and ocean surface currents. The Caribbean is located in a region heavily affected by trade winds. Trade winds are strong, consistent northeasterly winds which blow dust-filled dry air from the Sahara across the Atlantic. Trade winds additionally play a critical role in the annual hurricane season in the Western Atlantic. The Caribbean Current and Antilles branch of the Atlantic North Equatorial Current are the major current transporters of Sargassum in the region. Researchers have recently begun using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite imagery and ocean current data to track and forecast inundation events with a high level of accuracy. Human impact The effects of deforestation, waste-water runoff, and commercial agriculture fertilizer on facilitating