CLS to develop an operational sargassum service in the Caribbean

In 2018, the consortium CLS-NBE has been awarded a project with the European Space Agency, ESA, to implement an innovative EO (Earth Observation) service to monitor floating Sargassum algae in the Caribbean area.

Detecting Sargassum

Since 2011, huge sargassum mass strandings have occurred in the wider Caribbean region threatening marine life, affecting human health, impacting tourism and proving to be a costly nuisance for fishing & aquaculture.

Predicting impact of Sargassum

While local governments work diligently to remove Sargassum from local beaches, CLS is working on a new service for monitoring Sargassum masses at sea, and forecasting when and where they will arrive onshore, so local actors can plan accordingly.

Read more about ESA Sargassum project: A synergy of optical sensors

Useful link:

CLS Telemetry website