Interactive community engagement using technology and citizen science for school and community capacity building on pelagic sargassum in Mexico (SarTECH)

 Project Update - February 2024

SarTECH is the new project following up from the seeds planted by SARTRAC, where Dr Victoria Dominguez Almela (University of Southampton) along with Dr Christian Mario Appendini and Jose Antonio Lopez (National Autonomous University of Mexico) are linking technology and citizen science to creating new knowledge to better understand and manage the adverse environmental and socio-economic impact induced by the sargassum influxes along the Caribbean coast of Mexico. 

The project is gaining momentum in its mission to tackle the environmental impact of sargassum along the Caribbean coast of Mexico (Quintana Roo). With the successful installation of two low-cost automated fixed cameras (taking coastal pictures every minute) in Akumal and a new citizen science monitoring point in Puerto Morelos (currently three snap points in total along the coast, where people can use their phone to take coastal pictures), our technological efforts are now capturing crucial data on sargassum beaching. Furthermore, we have now been granted permissions from key partners in Cozumel for the installation of two cameras and four citizen science monitoring points along the island during our next trip scheduled in April. All of the above has been possible thanks to the collaboration with the Laboratory of Coastal Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). As part of the project, we have now Jose Antonio Lopez Portillo with us in the UK, one of their PhD students, who will further enhance our capabilities in camera building and image analysis. 

Figure 1. Camera installation in Akumal (left) and citizen science monitoring point in Puerto Morelos (right).

The ongoing collaboration with secondary and preparatory schools along the coast of Quintana Roo involves co-developing teaching materials that integrate sargassum into the curriculum, with a second workshop with the teachers planned for April. Our international partnerships with research institutes, regional experts, and local communities ensure a holistic approach to understanding sargassum dynamics and community engagement. As we prepare for our April visit to Mexico, where installations will be finalized, we are excited about the project's potential to improve sargassum early warning system in the country, with exploration of further opportunities underway. 

Figure 2. Sargassum introduction to secondary school’s students in Cozumel.

The SARTRAC project supported the past trip to Mexico, and we were also able to visit Jamaica to install one fixed camera and one citizen science monitoring points with our partners at the University of West Indies at Mona Campus. We engaged with the primary school of Port Royal and trained the students and their teachers into using the monitoring point as well as welcome them into the growing community of schools engaged with our projects.

Figure 3. Primary school children using the citizen science point (left) and installation of camera (right).

Stay connected with our progress on social media @SARTRAC1