CNES-TOSCA SARGAT (2023-2028; PI J. Jouanno). The SARGAT project aims to improve our understanding of Sargassum dynamics in the Atlantic Ocean, with a focus on transport, aggregation, and beaching processes. It seeks to quantify the respective roles of currents, waves, and wind in Sargassum drift, assess the influence of ocean–atmosphere interactions on raft formation and dispersion, and better characterize coastal conditions leading to beaching, with integration into the NEMO-Sarg transport–physiology model. The project combines multi-mission satellite observations (S1, S2, S3, VENµS, MODIS, Landsat, GOES), a multi-sensor approach (SWOT and AVISO altimetry, Landsat SST), and numerical modeling (NEMO-Sarg at basin scale and CROCO-NH at very high resolution). SARGAT is structured into four work packages: WP1 Sargassum drift, WP2 aggregation, WP3 from offshore to the coast, and WP4 space-based estimation of physiological parameters.
ANR BIOMASS (2025-2026; PI L. Berline). The main objective of BIOMAS is to build the necessary knowledge to define an individual based Sargassum model including the key components (growth response to limiting factors, nutrient uptake origin, biomass loss) to forecast Sargassum morphotypes proliferation at seasonal scale.
Website : https://biomas.osupytheas.fr
ANR FORESEA (2020–2023; PI. J. Jouanno) aimed to improve understanding and prediction of Sargassum blooms and drift from the open ocean to coastal regions, with the goal of developing seasonal forecasts of Sargassum abundance and stranding risk. The project focused on four main objectives:
- Enhancing satellite detection and biomass estimation of Sargassum, including the use of non-conventional sensors.
- Understanding and modeling seasonal to interannual variability of large-scale Sargassum distribution through an integrated Lagrangian–physiological model.
- Developing seasonal forecasts of Tropical Atlantic Sargassum distribution several months in advance, with quantified uncertainties.
- Producing fine-scale coastal forecasts of Sargassum strandings for Martinique and Guadeloupe, combining short-term (days) and long-term (months) risk maps using cost-effective approaches.
Website : https://sargassum-foresea.cnrs.fr/
SCO SESAM (2023-2025; PI J. Jouanno). This project was designed to deliver an operational basin-scale forecasting system for pelagic Sargassum in the Tropical Atlantic, building on advances from the ANR project FORESEA. The project focuses on transitioning a scientifically validated forecasting system from research to operations. It provided seasonal (up to 7 months) forecasts of Sargassum distribution by combining near–real-time satellite observations and a mechanistic transport–physiology model (NEMO-Sarg) forced by state-of-the-art atmospheric and ocean forecasts. Key developments included improved satellite-based initialization, consolidation of the processing chain, enhanced model parameterizations, and user-oriented visualization tools. By transferring the system to Mercator Ocean International and CLS, SESAM has been a major step forward for risk management, early warning, and decision-making for coastal communities and public authorities in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, and beyond, while contributing to European and international initiatives such as the Digital Twin Ocean.
- https://www.spaceclimateobservatory.org/thanks-sesam-europe-now-has-tool-monitoring-and-forecasting-sargassum
- https://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/en/data/products/value-added-products/sargassum/sargassum-seasonal-forecast.html
- https://sargassum-viewer.lab.dive.edito.eu/
CNES-TOSCA SAREDA-DA (PI. Léo Berline; 2018-2020; Co-PI J. Jouanno): SArgassum Evolving Distribution in the Atlantic – Decadal Analysis (SAREDA-DA). Development of a Sargassum detection data base using MODIS.