Networking Fridays: "Sargassum across the Atlantic" series

Since 2011, the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB) has undergone a dramatic and sustained expansion, depositing unprecedented quantities of pelagic Sargassum fluitans and S. natans on the shores of the Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and West African nations from Cape Verde, Senegal to Nigeria. What began as an episodic nuisance has become a chronic, transoceanic crisis: affecting artisanal fisheries, coastal tourism, public health, marine biodiversity, and the livelihoods of millions of people across the Atlantic Basin.

This Networking Fridays series creates a dedicated, recurring space across the Atlantic to connect researchers, environmental managers, health professionals, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and community representatives. Each session pairs a regional practitioner – someone dealing with sargassum on the ground — with specialists whose expertise can directly inform local responses. The goal is not just knowledge transfer but promote cross-Atlantic partnerships.

Registration for each webinar will be open soon.

The sessions are scheduled as follows:

Session 1 – 18 September 2026 | Watching the Belt: monitoring and forecasting sargassum across the Atlantic
Session 2 – 2 October 2026 | Communities & Ecosystems Under Pressure: livelihoods and marine biodiversity
Session 3 – 16 October 2026 | Toxic Tides: public health impacts
Session 4 – 30 October 2026 | Governing the Tide: regional policy, coordination, and international frameworks
Session 5 – 20 November 2026 | Sargassum as Resource: circular economy application, valorisation, and value chains