The maps above show Sargassum abundance, with warm colors representing higher values. In October, the overall Sargassum quantity in the central Atlantic Ocean continued to decline from previous months. While this decline is expected (the annual minimum Sargassum coverage in the region is typically in October – December), the total Sargassum quantity (~3.8 million tons) is still exceptionally high relative to most previous years. As predicted in the September bulletin, moderate Sargassum coverage was observed in the northern Caribbean Sea, while minimal quantities were found in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM).

Looking ahead, Sargassum abundance in the western Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and GoM will likely continue to decrease into November and early December. As mentioned in the previous bulletin, Sargassum continued amassing in the east-central Atlantic, and accounted for nearly half of the total quantity in the entire Central Atlantic during October. Similar to what happened in previous years, the large amounts of Sargassum in the east-central Atlantic are likely to be transported westward in November and December, reaching the Lesser Antilles in early 2023. More updates will be provided by the end of November 2022, and more information and near real-time imagery can be found under the Sargassum Watch System (SaWS, https://optics.marine.usf.edu/projects/saws.html).