Massive Sargassum seaweed blooms have become a recurring challenge across the Tropical Atlantic, the Caribbean, and West Africa, disrupting marine ecosystems, coastal economies, and public health. These floating mats, smother coral reefs, degrade water quality, and overwhelm beaches, harming tourism, fisheries, and local communities. Effective mitigation requires a multi-pronged approach: detection through satellite monitoring and in situ observations, forecasting using ocean models, and response strategies such as sustainable harvesting and valorization into useful products like fertilizers, biofuels, and bioplastics. Understanding the drivers of these blooms and improving early warning systems are key to reducing their impacts and finding long-term solutions.
