Sargassum Tracker

USF OOL Long Term Outlook

Aug 01, 2024
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In July 2024 the western Caribbean Sea was nearly free of large mats of Sargassum, which will continue throughout the year. Sargassum inundation in the eastern Caribbean Sea continued but to a lesser degree than in June. The situation will continue to improve in the coming months. Further details can be found in the attached bulletin.

As predicted last month, the total Sargassum amount in the entire region decreased in July but remained relatively high (75 percentile). While the spatial distribution patterns remained stable from June to July, the western Caribbean Sea (CS) was nearly free of Sargassum, and the Sargassum amount in the western Atlantic was nearly halved. The eastern Atlantic showed a sharp increase, but this was likely due to dramatic changes in cloud cover. MODIS has degraded recently. Therefore, although the spatial patterns of Sargassum are still valid, the Sargassum amounts have been underestimated, which will be corrected once NASA reprocesses the data.

SARGASSUM ABUNDANCE INTENSITY

Details

Looking ahead: The findings in July confirmed our earlier prediction of the lack of momentum of Sargassum growth. Thus, the total Sargassum amount in the coming months will continue to decline, as observed in previous years. The western Caribbean Sea will continue to be sargassum-free. Sargassum inundation in the eastern Caribbean Sea will continue but to a lesser degree. The southern portions of the Bahamas may see some drifting mats of Sargassum transported from the eastern Caribbean Sea. We will closely monitor and track Sargassum throughout the central Atlantic. Meanwhile, all previous monthly bulletins as well as daily updates through near real-time imagery can be found under the Sargassum Watch System (SaWS).

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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.