Sargassum is a macroscopic, floating brown alga or seaweed common to the North Atlantic. Between 2011-18, Sargassum bloomed in a stretch of water between Africa and South America creating giant mats so large that scientists have named it the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt. Sargassum serves as breeding grounds or a vital part of the food chain in the open ocean, but also covers beaches and other coastal areas with thick layers that impede species’ movement and function. Scientists suspected high nutrient levels as the cause of the bloom. They indirectly tested their hypothesis by using previously collected satellite data to determine the amount of chlorophyll a (a plant pigment) in nearby surface waters in that region of the Atlantic. They found that chlorophyll a spiked in the Amazon River plume in 2009 and remained high for nearly every year following. Other scientists discovered that deforestation and fertilizer use have increased in the Amazon since 2010.




Jamaican entrepreneurs put Sargassum to good use by making it into goat feed. After collecting the alga for free, they can convert 5. 44 x 103 kg of Sargassum into 4. 26x103kg of goat feed each week. Feed is sold to local farmers for $0. 26 a kilogram.




IDENTIFY one ecological disadvantage of the Great Atlantic Sargassum

IDENTIFY the year in which Sargassum covered 4 x 103 km2 of the Caribbean and Central Atlantic.

IDENTIFY the dependent variable in the chlorophyll investigation.

IDENTIFY the independent variable in the chlorophyll investigation.

Based upon the chlorophyll study, MAKE A CLAIM about the area of origin and EXPLAIN the formation of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt that is despoiling Caribbean beaches.

CALCULATE how much goat feed is produced per kg of Sargassum.

CALCULATE the maximum yearly revenue of goat feed