BESS

Sargassum blooms are increasingly disrupting coastlines, ecosystems, fisheries, and tourism across the tropical Atlantic. BESS combines satellite imagery, AI, and field measurements to pilot a sargassum intelligence system in Senegal, transforming space observation into coastal action while laying the foundation for resilience financing and parametric insurance across affected coastlines.

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Satellite-informed coastal risk mapping for Senegal. © Grogenics

Satellite Intelligence for Coastal Action Against Sargassum

Overview

The sargassum crisis

Sargassum blooms have drastically increased in size and frequency since 2011, associated with changing ocean conditions, nutrient enrichment, and shifting circulation patterns. What was once a valuable open-ocean habitat for marine species has increasingly become a recurring coastal crisis across the tropical Atlantic, affecting coastlines from West Africa to Mexico, Belize, and beyond.

When sargassum accumulates in bays and reaches shorelines, it decomposes rapidly, releasing hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, disrupting fisheries and tourism economies, threatening human health, and smothering sensitive coastal ecosystems, including seagrass beds, mangroves, and coral reefs. In Senegal, communities such as Pointe-Sarène have documented increasingly severe seasonal arrivals, with direct impacts on fishing cooperatives and women's processing groups whose livelihoods depend on reliable coastal access.

Closing the gap between observation and action

Despite growing satellite observation capacity, a critical gap remains: no operational system currently connects observation, interpretation, and rapid coastal response. The BESS project was created to close that gap. Combining ESA Sentinel-2, NASA MODIS, and PlanetScope imagery processed on Microsoft Azure with field measurements collected by local community partners, BESS is piloting a sargassum intelligence system in Senegal designed to improve bloom detection, biomass estimation, and real-time coastal decision-making.

Towards coastal resilience finance

Looking ahead, the project aims to transform space observation into practical coastal action. By strengthening early understanding of bloom intensity and impacts, BESS lays the groundwork for future resilience financing and parametric insurance approaches designed to support faster responses to severe sargassum events and strengthen long-term coastal resilience.

Application site(s)

Pointe-Sarène coastal zone, Senegal
Caye Caulker coastal zone, Belize

Data

Satellite

MODIS,
Sentinel-2
PlanetScope

Other

Ground-truth biomass measurements (mass, volume, and accumulation depth) collected with local community partners in Pointe-Sarène, Senegal to calibrate and validate satellite-based biomass estimation models.

Results - Final product(s)

BESS is designed to transform satellite observation into practical coastal intelligence, helping communities and decision-makers better anticipate and respond to sargassum events. Key outcomes include:

A sargassum intelligence system for Senegal, combining various satellite images with AI and field measurements to improve bloom detection, biomass estimation, and coastal decision-making.
A validated ground-truth dataset of sargassum biomass measurements (mass, volume, and accumulation depth), collected with local community partners to strengthen model accuracy and improve satellite-based interpretation.
A standardized field measurement protocol, designed to support reproducible monitoring and future adaptation across other sargassum-affected coastlines.
Early foundations for resilience financing, including the exploration of environmental thresholds, risk indicators, and response mechanisms that could inform future parametric insurance approaches.
A practical blueprint for coastal resilience, capturing methodology, lessons learned, and pathways for future deployment across affected regions.

👉 Together, these outcomes aim to strengthen coastal preparedness, improve response capacity, and help transform space observation into meaningful local action.

References

Speede, R., Alleyne, K., & Cox, S. L. (2024). Innovations for Sargassum Resilience. Inter-American Development Bank. https://doi.org/10.18235/0013107
Solar Impulse Foundation (2025). The Ocean Opportunity: A Solutions' Guide for the Blue Economy. https://solarimpulse.com/publications/the-ocean-opportunity-a-solutions-guide-for-the-blue-economy
The Ocean Foundation (2023). Restoring Blue Resilience in the Caribbean Region. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRd9iSkJ-6M
Sustainable Travel International (2023). St. Kitts: A Mission for the Future. https://sustainabletravel.org/episode/st-kitts-a-mission-for-the-future/

Related projects

Gold Standard Sargassum Valorization Project, Quintana Roo, Mexico — operational sargassum collection and biochar-enriched compost production supporting methane avoidance under Gold Standard project development (GS13082).
Gold Standard Coastal Resilience Project, Caye Caulker, Belize — sargassum interception and local circular valorization under Gold Standard project development, supporting community-centered coastal resilience.
SCO SeSaM (Seasonal Sargassum Monitoring), a tool for monitoring and forecasting Sargassum seaweed beds. Monitoring is based on satellite detection of Sargassum banks, and seasonal forecasting, initiated by satellite detection, is based on an ecosystem model that incorporates ocean currents.