Satellite-Assisted Monitoring and Oceanic Understanding System for Sargassum in the Atlantic ocean – SAMOUSSA

Over the past decade, the proliferation of sargassum in the Caribbean and off the coast of West Africa has become a major concern, with recurring beachings and accumulations posing socio-economic and health risks. To address these challenges, the SAMOUSSA project aims to enhance our ability to anticipate and understand the life cycle of sargassum in the tropical Atlantic Ocean to mitigate associated risks.
Current measurements in this region rely on polar-orbiting satellites, which provide valuable data but are unable to describe sub-daily to daily variations due to factors such as cloud cover, aerosols, and long revisit time. Although numerical modeling is used to predict short-term trajectories and seasonal distribution, there are still gaps in understanding the life cycle and processes driving sargassum dynamics in the tropical Atlantic.
To address these challenges, the project aims to combine Meteosat Third Generation-Imager (MTG-I) observations and ocean biogeochemical modeling tools to assess contributing factors to the inherent variability. At the core of this approach, the project aims to develop a specific detection index from the imager FCI onboard the MTG-I, explicitly taking aerosols into account through the iAERUS-GEO algorithm and deriving quantitative variables to get further insights into sargassum presence and growth.
Additionally the project seeks to understand and model the sargassum life cycle by introducing MTG-I observations into the dedicated module of the NEMO-Sarg ocean biogeochemical model. This approach will enable a refined modeling system leading to a better understanding of sub-daily sargassum dynamics and the ability to anticipate formation zones, especially in the context of climate change. The project's outcomes will contribute to a better understanding of the sargassum life cycle, more accurate seasonal predictions and assist in mitigating the impacts of sargassum accumulation along the affected coastlines.