In 2018, the Caribbean Sea (CS) has experienced a record-high and prolonged Sargassum bloom. The maps below show Sargassum abundance, with warm colors representing high abundance. In Feb 2019, similar amounts as in Feb 2018 appeared in the eastern CS, but amounts in the Central West Atlantic (CWA) were lower. Meanwhile, large amounts of Sargassum were found in the western CS from Belize to the Yucatan channel, and then in the eastern Gulf of Mexico through the Loop Current. In Mar 2019, this trend is likely to continue. However, in Apr 2019 the amount of Sargassum transported from the CWA to the CS may be lower than in Apr 2018. According to the conditions in the eastern Atlantic, in later months of 2019 the CS may still experience moderate to large amounts of Sargassum.
Wang, M., and C. Hu (2017), Predicting Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea from MODIS observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 3265–3273, doi:10.1002/ 2017GL072932.