Sargassum Tracker

USF OOL Long Term Outlook

Aug 31, 2026
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Consistent with all previous years, the total Sargassum amount in every region continued to decline in September, while the distribution patterns remained stable, with the Sargassum “belt” still stretching from the coast of West Africa to the Gulf. The total amount within the “belt” was halved from August, which was halved from July. The amount in the Gulf decreased to 1/3 of the August level, which was 1/3 of the July level. A similar decline occurred in the E Caribbean. However, the total amount in every region but the East Atlantic still exceeded the 75th percentiles of historical levels, and the amount in the W Caribbean remained unchanged.

SARGASSUM ABUNDANCE INTENSITY

Details

Looking ahead: Sargassum amounts in all regions will continue to decrease until possibly November. Meanwhile, beaching events around the Caribbean and the southeast coast of Florida will continue, but not as severe as in the summer months. We will keep a close eye on whether there are anomalous changes in the coming months. All previous monthly bulletins, as well as daily imagery, can be found under the Sargassum Watch System (SaWS). Meanwhile, high-resolution Sargassum maps for selected coastal regions are also available in near real-time under “Satellite Data Products => High Resolution” on the OOL Website.

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Disclaimer

The information bulletin is meant to provide a general outlook of current bloom condition and future bloom probability for the Caribbean Sea. By no means should it be used for commercial purpose, or used for predicting bloom conditions for a specific location or beach. The authors of this bulletin, as well as Caricoos, USF and NASA, take no responsibility for improper use or interpretation of the bulletin. Any use of the image, data, or graph from this bulletin page in reports or publications should obtain permission from the USF OOL group.