STAR Science Seminar Series

Title: Pelagic Sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean: what happened in the past 20 years?

Presenter(s): Chuanmin Hu, University of South Florida

Sponsor(s): NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group (NOCCG)

Remote Access: https://meet.google.com/hnd-zams-bgo

Seminar Contact(s): Cara.Wilson@NOAA.gov

Abstract: Pelagic Sargassum, one type of brown macroalgae or seaweed, has been known to be abundant in the Sargasso Sea since its first report in the 15^th century by Christopher Columbus. In 2011, however, large amounts of Sargassum started to appear in the Caribbean Sea, causing adverse impacts on the coastal environments and turning an otherwise critical open-ocean habitat into a coastal hazard. Since then, the research community has spent enormous effort in finding better ways to assess its spatial distributions and temporal changes as well as improved understandings of the reasons behind these changes. Here, using satellite observations and other data, we first review the remote sensing techniques used to map and quantify pelagic Sargassum, and then report a possible regime shift in Sargassum distributions in the Atlantic Ocean, characterized by the emergent Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt and dramatic decline in Sargassum abundance in the north Sargasso Sea. We also discuss the possible reasons behind such a regime shift and pathway forward in future Sargassum research.

Slides, Recordings, Other Materials: Slides can be found at this link about 24 hours after the live webinar: https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/PastSeminars_NOCCG.php

NOAA Science Seminar Series

Title: A history and overview of IOCCG activities

Presenter(s): Shubha Sathyendranath, IOCCG Chair, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK

Sponsor(s): NOAA Ocean Color Coordinating Group (NOCCG)

Remote Access: https://meet.google.com/hnd-zams-bgo

Seminar Contact(s): Cara.Wilson@NOAA.gov

Abstract: The International Ocean Colour CoordinatingGroup (IOCCG) was established in 1996, in the tail end of the decade of hiatusafter the demise of the CZCS, the first proof-of-concept ocean colour satellitein 1986, and before the launch of SeaWiFS. It was set up to coordinateocean-colour science and applications at the international level, and was thebrainchild of Robert Frouin and was spearheaded initially by Trevor Platt, thefirst Chair of IOCCG. In the early days, the emphasis of IOCCG activities wason science, technical development, and advocacy for seamless continuity ofocean-colour missions; but soon, operational aspects also became an importantcomponent. Over time, the activities extended to embrace freshwater systems, inaddition to coastal and open-ocean domains. With the advent of the VIIRS seriesof satellites by NOAA, operational ocean-colour sensors became a reality, andmany applications were quick to follow. The International Ocean Colour Science(IOCS) meeting, introduced by David Antoine, one of the previous Chairs ofIOCCG, has become an important forum for the community to interact and exchangeideas with each other, as well as with the space agency representatives. IOCCGhas a global vision, which has never been more important than now, with 13nations, including 4 from Asia and one from South America with their owncurrent or future ocean-colour satellite missions, and with many privatecompanies launching their own constellations of mini sensors. Capacity buildingbecomes imperative in this context, and IOCCG has taken a lead in that as well,with international training courses being one of the mainstays of the Group'sactivities. More still needs to be done, especially in the Global South, whilerecognising that capacity building is a global requirement, not just of theSouth. NOAA has an important role in IOCCG, with many noteworthy contributorsto the Committee, the Executive, and the many IOCCG Reports and Protocols,including Cara Wilson, the immediate past-Chair of IOCCG, and Menghua Wang,NOAA's representative on the IOCCG Executive.

Slides, Recordings, Other Materials: Slides can be found at this link about 24 hours after the live webinar: https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/PastSeminars_NOCCG.php

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