Abstract

Despite its size, the Caribbean Sea is not a homogenous physical environment; the powerful west-northwest running current is highly localized with weaker surface flows elsewhere, strongly affecting transport of sargassum through the region. Physicochemical drivers such as temperature, salinity, and nutrients, which vary seasonally and spatially throughout the Caribbean Sea, further complicate predicted movement of sargassum within the region. Here, we take a statistical approach to better understand how variability in oceanographic conditions influences the distribution of sargassum within the Caribbean region.