Abstract

In the face of climate change, coastal communities have been urged to advance their management practices in an effort to maintain resilient coastlines. One climate-induced factor that has proven especially relentless to the Caribbean and Gulf regions is Sargassum. Sargassum is a macro-alga that thrives on the surface waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea as a result of warmer ocean temperatures and nutrient pollution. The following presents five prime factors that should be considered in all attempts to elevate current Sargassum mitigation efforts. These five factors include: 1. Innovative Collection Experimentation, 2. Post-Collection Refinement, 3. Public-Private Partnership Development, 4. Point-Source Management, and 5. Full-Cost Accounting. Factor 1, Innovative Collection Experimentation, tasks those affected to engage in and support experimental efforts such as pilot-studies that aim to pioneer Sargassum collection methods through trial and error. Factor 2, Post- Collection Refinement, encourages the realization of Sargassum's prospective role in fields such as biomedical, agricultural, and biofuel. A positive return on investment (ROI) could transform the process of controlling this natural disaster into a profitable effort on both the local and on the global-scale. Factor 3, Public-Private Partnerships, directs those involved to combine the resources of public and private parties in an effort to unify results. Factor 4, Point-Source Management, aims to address the overarching factors contributing to Sargassum influxes (ie - greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient loading, deforestation, etc.). Lastly, factor 5, Full-Cost Accounting, supports the generation of exhaustive cost evaluations by incorporating both the direct and indirect costs of Sargassum landings.

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