In the latest episode of the Meliora Podcast, from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton, we take a look at a strange and stinky phenomenon that has taken over beaches, from the Gulf of Mexico to the coasts of West Africa: Pelagic Sargassum, a type of brown seaweed that is native to the Sargasso Sea, typically found across the tropical Atlantic1 .
In its native environment, Sargassum provides essential ecosystem services, including food provision, habitat protection, and breeding grounds for marine species. However, its exponential growth has triggered a cascade of social, economic, and environmental consequences for coastal communities worldwide.
Environmental science lecturer Dr Vicky Dominguez Almela and senior research fellow Dr Sien Van Der Plank help us to understand the SARTRAC project – a community led initiative, created to understand and track the activities of the Sargassum seaweed. At its core, this project exemplifies community-driven research, integrating interdisciplinary collaboration to achieve a shared goal: sustainability, led by the people it affects. Despite their varying academic backgrounds, Dr Van Der Plank and Dr Dominguez Almela successfully launched a project that continues to gain global recognition.
The SARTRAC project, launched in 2019, was created to investigate the alarming surges of Sargassum along Caribbean and West African coastlines. During their fieldwork, the SARTRAC team recognized an opportunity: to equip affected communities with the knowledge and resources needed to adapt to this environmental shift. Collaborating closely with local educators, they established the Seaweed School & Community Network (SSCN)—a platform offering essential teaching materials, student workbooks, and scientific resources.
What sets SSCN apart is its integration of environmental, social, and cultural perspectives. By tailoring content to local contexts, the initiative empowers communities to develop their own adaptation strategies.
The collaboration between Dr Dominguez Almela and Dr Van Der Plank stemmed from a shared commitment to connecting coastal school communities across West Africa, Mexico, and the Caribbean, fostering knowledge exchange and collective resilience. A key aspect of this initiative is a pen pal system, enabling children to share their experiences on a personal level. Additionally, broader project resources, including educational materials and research insights, are available on the SARTRAC website (www.sartrac.org) for the general public’s knowledge.
A key highlight of the podcast is the exploration of our guests’ journeys into sustainability research. For example, Dr Dominguez Almela tells us that she has always had a passion to work with animals and her opportunities with marine life conservation has given her a keen interest in aquatic ecology, where her expertise lies.
Dr Van Der Plank relays how her “light-bulb moment” was realising her inherent passion for nature after hearing a classmate describe theirs; her upbringing in rural drought-stricken Australia “the bush” showed her the effect the climate had on the environment. Notably she mentions her specific research in coastal adaptation, investigating how individuals and local stakeholders cope with coastal change. Unsurprisingly the SARTRAC project was a great fit for her work in developing public relations.
Dr Dominguez Almela echoes this sentiment as she expresses how her personal and professional development in social sciences has been a major milestone during the progression of the project. Both researchers emphasize the strong sense of community and collaboration that has enabled SARTRAC to flourish into the success it is today.
Enjoyed this piece and want to learn more? Listen to this episode of the Meliora podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton on the podcast website or wherever you get your podcasts! (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music)
References:
1 Corbin, M. and Oxenford, H.A. (2023). Assessing growth of pelagic sargassum in the Tropical Atlantic. 187, pp.103654–103654. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2023.103654.
