Envisat captures first image of Sargassum from space
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Sargassum slick observed in the western Gulf of Mexico, on 2 June 2003, off Corpus Christi, Texas. Credits: Tracy Villareal, University of Texas, Marine Science Institute
Sargassum seaweed, famous in nautical lore for entangling ships in its dense floating vegetation, has been detected from space for the first time thanks to an instrument aboard ESA’s environmental satellite, Envisat. The ability to monitor Sargassum globally will allow researchers to understand better the primary productivity of the ocean and better predict climate change.
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