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STAR Seminars

STAR Seminars

Welcome to the STAR science seminar listings page. The STAR seminar series listings include STAR seminars, NOCCG seminars starting in 2019, and CoastWatch seminars, newly added for 2022.

NOAA's Ocean Color Coordinating Group (NOCCG) is a NOAA organization founded in 2011 by Dr. Paul DiGiacomo, Chief of SOCD at NOAA/NESDIS/STAR and was formally recognized by NESDIS in response to the National Research Council’s 2011 report, “Assessing the Requirements for Sustained Ocean Color Research and Operations.” The purpose of the NOCCG is to keep members up to date about developments for satellite ocean color. With membership that includes representatives from all the NOAA line offices, NOCCG holds monthly meetings and an informational seminar, advertised widely both within and outside of NOAA, especially to the US ocean color community.

The NOAA CoastWatch Seminars, begun in January 2022, feature two speakers per month from the NOAA CoastWatch Science or Application Team presenting information that will be of interest to NOAA CoastWatch Users and the entire CoastWatch Team.

Questions:
Please contact Lori.Brown@noaa.gov.

 

All seminar times are given in Eastern Time

22 April 2026

Title: Pelagic Sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean: what happened in the past 20 years?
Presenter(s): Chuanmin Hu, University of South Florida
Date & Time: 22 April 2026
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET
Location: Webinar
Description:

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 15th 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
Add seminar: Add to Google calendar

Contribute to the STAR Seminar Series

Would you like to present a seminar?

To submit a new seminar for the series, fill this form: STAR Seminar Form. We are always looking for new and interesting presentations!

 

Add the STAR Seminar Series to your Google calendar

To add the STAR Seminar's calendar to your Google Calendar:

  1. Open your Google calendar.
  2. On the left, above 'My Calendars', click 'Add' and then select 'From URL'.
  3. Paste in:
    https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/noaa.gov_hvn8pjdu449t75uosgrahqb1u4%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics
  4. Click the 'Add Calendar' button.

Then the STAR Seminars calendar will appear on the left side of your calendar controls under 'Other calendars'.