NIOZ Pelagia cruise: In search of Sargassum
Publication date: Tuesday 13 August 2019
A multidisciplinary team of scientists aboard NIOZ flagship RV Pelagia sailed from July 11th till August 11th the Northern Atlantic Ocean to study Sargassum; an open-ocean brown macroalga that started forming unprecendented accumulations and subsequent strandings on the coasts of the Caribbean, threatens biodiversity and highly impacts tourism.
Overarching questions that remain unanswered include: what genetic forms of pelagic Sargassum are involved, and what is the cause and geographic source of these accumulations? And as "ecosystem engineers" how do mass accumulations of Sargassum impact the microbial food web that dominates the open ocean, as well as coastal ecosystems where it strands?
The RV Pelagia "Sargassum" Cruise PE-455 aims to address these questions. In a series of blogs scientists and students share their research, findings and experiences.