20 Sep 2017
20 Sep 2017
On the potential causes of the recent Pelagic Sargassum blooms events in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean
- 1Laboratoire de Physique de l’Atmosphère et de Mécanique des Fluides (LAPA-MF), UFR SSMT, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
- 2Laboratório de Oceanografia Física Estuarina e Costeira (LOFEC), Departamento de Oceanografia da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (DOCEAN/UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil
- 3Brazilian Research Network on Global Climate Changes (Rede CLIMA), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- 4Laboratoire d’Études en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (LEGOS), UMR 5566 CNES/CNRS/IRD/UPS, Plouzané, France
- 1Laboratoire de Physique de l’Atmosphère et de Mécanique des Fluides (LAPA-MF), UFR SSMT, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
- 2Laboratório de Oceanografia Física Estuarina e Costeira (LOFEC), Departamento de Oceanografia da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (DOCEAN/UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil
- 3Brazilian Research Network on Global Climate Changes (Rede CLIMA), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- 4Laboratoire d’Études en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (LEGOS), UMR 5566 CNES/CNRS/IRD/UPS, Plouzané, France
Abstract. Since 2011, unprecedented and repetitive blooms and large mass strandings of the floating brown macroalgæ, Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans have been reported along the West Indies, the Caribbean, the Brazilian and the West Africa coasts. Recent studies have highlighted a new tank of Sargassum: the North Equatorial Recirculation Region of the Atlantic Ocean. This region is located off the northeast of Brazil, approximately between the equator and 10° N and from 50° W to 25° W. The potential causes of these recent blooms and mass strandings are still poorly understood. Observational datasets and modelling outputs involving hydrological parameters and climate events are examined focusing on their potential feedback on the observed blooms and mass strandings. The results show that combined conditions have been in favor of these recent changes. High anomalously unprecedented positive sea surface temperature observed in the tropical Atlantic in 2010–2011 could have induced favorable temperature conditions for Sargassum blooms. These favorable conditions were then fed by additional continental nutrients inputs, principally from the Amazon River. These continental nutrients load are the consequences of deforestation, agroindustrial and urban activities in the Amazonian forest. The results also suggest that subsurface intake of nutrients from the equatorial upwelling could also contribute to the blooms of the Sargassum seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean but further studies are needed to confirm these additional inputs.
Sandrine Djakouré et al.


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RC1: 'Referee Comment', Anonymous Referee #1, 24 Oct 2017
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SC1: 'Short comment', Leo Berline, 18 Nov 2017
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RC2: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #2, 30 Jan 2018
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RC3: 'Manuscript Review bg-2017-346', Anonymous Referee #3, 01 Feb 2018


-
RC1: 'Referee Comment', Anonymous Referee #1, 24 Oct 2017
-
SC1: 'Short comment', Leo Berline, 18 Nov 2017
-
RC2: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #2, 30 Jan 2018
-
RC3: 'Manuscript Review bg-2017-346', Anonymous Referee #3, 01 Feb 2018
Sandrine Djakouré et al.
Sandrine Djakouré et al.
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Cited
7 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Pelagic Sargassum for energy and fertiliser production in the Caribbean: A case study on Barbados T. Thompson et al. 10.1016/j.rser.2019.109564
- Advances in the pretreatment of brown macroalgae for biogas production T. Thompson et al. 10.1016/j.fuproc.2019.106151
- Efficiency of hydrothermal pretreatment on the anaerobic digestion of pelagic Sargassum for biogas and fertiliser recovery T. Thompson et al. 10.1016/j.fuel.2020.118527
- Caribbean Sargassum Phenomenon: Complexities of Communicating P. McConney & H. Oxenford 10.33277/cesare/003.002/02
- Evolution of the riverine nutrient export to the Tropical Atlantic over the last 15 years: is there a link with Sargassum proliferation? J. Jouanno et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/abe11a
- The great Atlantic Sargassum belt M. Wang et al. 10.1126/science.aaw7912
- Floating <i>Sargassum</i> in Serranilla Bank, Caribbean Colombia, may jeopardize the race to the ocean of baby sea turtles B. Gavio & A. Santos-Martinez 10.15446/abc.v23n3.68113