The Sargassum Information Hub: A collaborative approach to a common problem
23 May 2023
23 May 2023
Lying in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Sargasso Sea is unlike any other sea. The currents that bound it create a gyre. Within its centre lies what Dr Sylvia Earle called “a golden floating forest,” formed from a floating brown Sargassum seaweed. It is a unique and thriving system for myriad marine animals.
Sargassum can make its way out of the gyre, drifting into the Caribbean. “Sargassum used to come in little patches,” says Shelly-Ann Cox, a Sargassum expert who manages the GEO Blue Planet Sargassum Information Hub. For fishers, like those in Barbados who target flyingfish, these small patches “were a good sign…the flyingfish would spawn on the patches,” Cox explains. However, since 2011, those small patches have become sprawling mats. These influxes are coming from a new source, “Now every year is getting worse and worse and worse,” says Cox.
Research into the mechanisms behind Sargassum’s explosion is ongoing. Regardless, the sprawling mats are causing no end of trouble. At high density, Sargassum blocks out sunlight to everything below. Air-breathing animals like sea turtles, often attracted to Sargassum, cannot access the surface. When the Sargassum begins to decompose, it sucks up oxygen and releases toxins, creating a deadly cocktail, particularly if it reaches coastal waters.
Rather than benefiting from the influx of Sargassum, Barbados’s flyingfish fishery has suffered dramatic decreases in landings. “Flying fish is our national dish. It’s on our dollar coin. It’s on our passport. It’s such a national icon, so [the loss of flyingfish] might be a threat to national and cultural identity,” explains Cox.
The fisherfolk of Barbados aren’t the only ones to suffer from the onslaught of Sargassum. “The impacts are multisectoral. Puerto Rico had a power outage, and St. Croix, Virgin Islands, had water shortages because Sargassum got into their intake pipes. Tourism is impacted…we’ve seen beaches where [Sargassum] has been piled up higher than six feet (1.8 metres),” Cox explains, adding that Sargassum mats are now becoming more frequent in countries outside of the Caribbean, such as Mexico, the USA, and even those along Africa’s western coastline.
“The impact on the economy is direct and big, so countries do see the importance of mitigating Sargassum,” says Audrey Hasson, Director of GEO Blue Planet’s European Office. By acting as a centralised information point, the Sargassum Information Hub, launched in June 2021, is helping countries do exactly that.
“We created this Hub to be the point of access for all information on Sargassum for all countries,” says Hasson. “The [Sargassum] problem is so big, so we’re trying to federate a community.”
The Hub provides key resources such as a research information repository, events and news pages, and a project directory for organisations and groups working on Sargassum to share their work with others working on or impacted by Sargassum. It also shares earth observation monitoring data.
Within the Caribbean, territories such as Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe fall under the jurisdiction of larger countries such as the USA and France, respectively. “The US and Europe have grid systems for monitoring and predicting Sargassum, but most countries in the area don’t,” explains Hasson. “We want to make sure what is done in the US and Europe[ean territories] is useful for everyone.” The Hub uses open satellite and in-situ data to provide the Sargassum viewer and forecasting systems as well as create bulletins and reports for governments, regional municipalities, businesses, and others to plan for and adapt to emerging Sargassum mats.
Cox describes the Hub as a living, ever-evolving entity, adapting to the needs of the countries impacted by Sargassum. Most recently, the Hub introduced regional pages containing specific information about what different countries are doing or facing. “For instance, if a country has a management plan or adaptive strategy, valorisation initiatives, hazard and vulnerability assessments, we include those on the page,” says Cox, noting that these pages have already become case studies for others looking to mitigate or valorise Sargassum.
Both Hasson and Cox have many ideas for the future of the Hub. One element Hasson points to relates to monitoring and forecasting. On the Hub, “we mostly have weekly reports and bulletins on short timescales,” says Hasson, noting that French research teams are working on creating seasonal to interannual forecasts. “We would like to see this become operational, and on the Hub,” says Hasson. In addition, climatologies, which show historic Sargassum patterns, would be a useful addition, especially by businesses who are trying to develop Sargassum activities, as they would need to know statistically how much Sargassum has been coming to their harvesting areas,” Hasson explains.
Cox points to several potential developments, including dashboards that provide more specific information on the impacts of Sargassum and clean-up costs and a forum to help enhance collaboration. “Information is powerful beyond anything,” says Cox. “Centralising all the information so all the different countries can learn from each other, this is really the benefit of having the Hub.”
Msaada wa Sargasso: Njia ya Ushirikiano kwa Tatizo la Kawaida 23 Mei 2023 Bahari ya Sargasso, iliyoko Kaskazini mwa Bahari ya Atlantiki, ni tofauti na bahari nyingine yoyote. Mtiririko wa maji uliolizunguka hufanyiza mzunguko. Ndani ya kituo chake kuna kile ambacho Dakt. Sylvia Earle aliita "msitu wa dhahabu unaoteleza", uliofanyizwa kutokana na mwani wa baharini wa rangi ya kahawia wa Sargassum unaoteleza. Ni mfumo wa kipekee na wenye kusitawi kwa ajili ya wanyama wengi wa baharini. Sargassum inaweza kutoroka kwenye mzunguko huo, na kuhamia Karibea. "Sargassum ilitumiwa kuja katika patches ndogo", anasema Shelly-Ann Cox, mtaalamu wa Sargassum ambaye anasimamia GEO Blue Planet Sargassum Information Hub. Kwa wavuvi, kama wale katika Barbados ambao lengo flyingfish, hizi patches ndogo <unk>walikuwa ishara nzuri... flyingfish ingekuwa kuzaana juu ya patches,<unk> Cox anaelezea. Hata hivyo, tangu mwaka wa 2011, maeneo hayo madogo yamekuwa matope makubwa. Mafuriko haya yanatoka kwa chanzo kipya, <unk>Sasa kila mwaka inakuwa mbaya zaidi na mbaya zaidi na mbaya zaidi,<unk> anasema Cox. Utafiti juu ya utaratibu wa mlipuko wa Sargassum unaendelea. Hata hivyo, mikeka hiyo mikubwa inasababisha matatizo mengi. Katika wiani wa juu, Sargassum huzuia mwanga wa jua usipite kwenye kila kitu kilicho chini. Wanyama wanaopumua hewa kama vile kasa wa baharini, ambao mara nyingi huvutiwa na Sargassum, hawawezi kufika juu ya ardhi. Wakati Sargassum inapoanza kuharibika, huchukua oksijeni na kutolewa sumu, na kutokeza mchanganyiko wenye kuua, hasa ikiwa inafikia maji ya pwani. Badala ya kufaidika na kuongezeka kwa samaki aina ya Sargassum, uvuvi wa samaki aina ya flyingfish huko Barbados umepungua sana. <unk> Samaki anayetembea kwa ndege ni mlo wetu wa kitaifa. Ni juu ya sarafu yetu ya dola. Ni juu ya pasipoti yetu. "Ni ishara ya kitaifa, kwa hiyo [kupoteza samaki wanaoruka] kunaweza kuwa tishio kwa utambulisho wa kitaifa na kitamaduni", anaeleza Cox. Wavuvi wa Barbados si wao pekee wanaoteseka kutokana na shambulio la Sargassum. <unk>Madhara ni ya sekta nyingi. Puerto Rico ilikosa umeme, na St. Croix, Visiwa vya Virgin, ilikosa maji kwa sababu Sargassum iliingia kwenye mabomba yao ya kuingia. "Tumeona pwani ambapo [Sargassum] imepangwa juu ya futi sita, "" anaeleza Cox, akiongeza kuwa vitambaa vya Sargassum sasa vinazidi kuwa vya kawaida katika nchi nje ya Karibea, kama vile Mexico, USA, na hata zile zilizo kando ya pwani ya magharibi mwa Afrika." "Hii ni sababu ya kuathiri sana uchumi wa nchi, na kwa hivyo nchi zinaona umuhimu wa kupunguza Sargassum, ""alisema Audrey Hasson, Mkurugenzi wa Ofisi ya Ulaya ya GEO Blue Planet." Kwa kufanya kazi kama kituo cha habari cha kati, Kituo cha Habari cha Sargassum, kilichoanzishwa mnamo Juni 2021, kinawasaidia nchi kufanya hivyo. "Tuliunda Kituo hiki kuwa mahali pa kupata habari zote juu ya Sargassum kwa nchi zote", anasema Hasson. "Shargassoum ni ""kitu kikubwa sana, kwa hivyo tunajaribu kuunganisha jamii.""" Pia inashiriki data ya ufuatiliaji wa uchunguzi wa dunia. Katika eneo la Karibea, maeneo kama vile Puerto Rico na Guadeloupe yanaanguka chini ya mamlaka ya nchi kubwa kama vile Marekani na Ufaransa. "Marekani na Ulaya zina mifumo ya gridi ya ufuatiliaji na utabiri wa Sargassum, lakini nchi nyingi katika eneo hilo hazina", anaelezea Hasson. "Tunataka kuhakikisha kile kinachofanywa nchini Marekani na Ulaya ni muhimu kwa kila mtu. ""Kituo hutumia satellite wazi na data in-situ kutoa Sargassum viewer na mifumo ya utabiri kama vile kuunda taarifa na ripoti kwa ajili ya serikali, manispaa za kikanda, biashara, na wengine kupanga na kukabiliana na mat Sargassum zinazoibuka." Cox anaelezea Kituo hicho kama kiumbe hai, kinachobadilika daima, kinachobadilika kulingana na mahitaji ya nchi zilizoathiriwa na Sargassum. Hivi karibuni, Kituo hicho kilianzisha kurasa za kikanda zilizo na habari maalum juu ya kile nchi tofauti zinafanya au inakabiliwa nacho. "Kwa mfano, ikiwa nchi ina mpango wa usimamizi au mkakati wa kukabiliana, mipango ya thamani, hatari na tathmini za udhaifu, tunajumuisha hizo kwenye ukurasa, ""anasema Cox, akibainisha kwamba kurasa hizi tayari zimekuwa masomo ya kesi kwa wengine wanaotafuta kupunguza au thamani ya Sargassum. """ Wote Hasson na Cox wana mawazo mengi kwa ajili ya siku zijazo za Kituo. Kipengele kimoja Hasson anataja kinahusiana na ufuatiliaji na utabiri. Kwenye Kituo, "sisi hasa kuwa na ripoti za kila wiki na bulletins juu ya muda mfupi", anasema Hasson, akibainisha kwamba Ufaransa timu za utafiti ni kazi juu ya kujenga msimu kwa utabiri interannual. "Tungependa kuona hii kuwa kazi, na juu ya Hub", anasema Hasson. "Kwa kuongezea, hali ya hewa, ambayo inaonyesha mifumo ya Sargassum ya kihistoria, itakuwa nyongeza muhimu, haswa na wafanyabiashara ambao wanajaribu kuendeleza shughuli za Sargassum, kwani watahitaji kujua takwimu ni kiasi gani cha Sargassum imekuwa ikiwasili kwenye maeneo yao ya kuvuna. """ Cox anasema kuna uwezekano wa maendeleo kadhaa, ikiwa ni pamoja na dashibodi ambazo hutoa habari maalum zaidi juu ya athari za Sargassum na gharama za kusafisha na jukwaa la kusaidia kuboresha ushirikiano. "Habari ina nguvu zaidi ya kitu kingine chochote", anasema Cox. <unk>Kusanya habari zote ili nchi zote tofauti ziweze kujifunza kutoka kwa kila mmoja, hii ni faida halisi ya kuwa na Kituo. <unk>