Sargassum

Atlas-SSI Strengthens Water Screening Solutions Portfolio with Acquisition of Containment Barrier Leader ABASCO

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Weather, Partnership, Water, Environment, Sargassum, Climate change, Acquisition, Water quality, Growth, Renewable energy

MONTICELLO, Miss., Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlas-SSI, North America's leader in water screening solutions that protect mission-critical assets and water ecosystems, has acquired Texas-based ABASCO, a prominent provider of containment barriers and service.

Key Points: 
  • MONTICELLO, Miss., Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlas-SSI, North America's leader in water screening solutions that protect mission-critical assets and water ecosystems, has acquired Texas-based ABASCO, a prominent provider of containment barriers and service.
  • This partnership accelerates growth for Atlas-SSI and further strengthens its water screening solutions.
  • "ABASCO's solutions help customers increase water treatment efficiency, protect water intakes and shorelines, and manage operational challenges related to climate change.
  • Combined with Atlas-SSI's water screening solutions, they will provide our customers with new and enhanced approaches to building infrastructure resilience".

Become a beach scientist this summer and help monitor changing coastlines

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Sand, Student, Erosion, QR, Sargassum, Algorithm, Pressure, Photogrammetry, Dredging

When you arrive at your favourite beach these summer holidays, you may notice something different about the coast.

Key Points: 
  • When you arrive at your favourite beach these summer holidays, you may notice something different about the coast.
  • With the triple-dip La Niña now making way for El Niño, our beaches have been through a rollercoaster ride.
  • Using designated camera cradles installed at beach viewpoints, CoastSnap uses community snapshots taken on smartphones to track beach change.

Turning beach snaps into scientific data

  • All you need to do is place your camera in the cradle, take a photo and upload it using the QR code at the station.
  • Because the position and angle of the photo is always the same, over time these snaps reveal how the beach is changing.
  • This aerial view enables beach change to be easily measured.

From local to global: a network of community beach monitoring

  • We now have more than 350 CoastSnap stations in 31 countries and across five continents.
  • This makes it the largest coordinated network of coastal monitoring worldwide – and all the data is collected by the community.
  • In Ghana, West Africa, students from local schools are using CoastSnap to better understand how the “golden seaweed” sargassum impacts fishing communities.

Monitoring the present to plan for the future

  • This is particularly important as sea levels continue to rise, storm tracks shift, and beaches come under increasing pressure from overdevelopment.
  • This data is being fed into numerical models that help coastal researchers predict what the coastline will be like in the coming decades – and plan accordingly.
  • This will go some way to ensure future generations can enjoy the coast like we do today.


Mitchell Harley receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is also the New South Wales Chair of the Australian Coastal Society. Fred Chaaya works for the University Of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory, which manages the CoastSnap project and network.

Invest Puerto Rico and Newlab select five early-stage startups to pilot solutions for converting unmanaged and landfilled items into new value-added products

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Carbon, Plastic, SAN, Natural Resources, Collection, Tourism, NOAA, National Ocean Service, Health, Corps, Partnership, Biopolymer, Seaweed, OAFA, Engineer, Sway, Sargassum

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Dec. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CarbonCycle, SOS Carbon, Sway, Thalasso Ocean and PANGAIA have been selected to pilot solutions to convert Puerto Rico's sargassum seaweed, plastic waste and end-of-life tires into new value-added products. The cohort, called the Puerto Rico Studio, was created in partnership between Invest Puerto Rico (InvestPR), the island's business attraction organization, and Newlab, a renowned center of invention based in Brooklyn, NY.

Key Points: 
  • SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Dec. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CarbonCycle, SOS Carbon, Sway, Thalasso Ocean and PANGAIA have been selected to pilot solutions to convert Puerto Rico's sargassum seaweed, plastic waste and end-of-life tires into new value-added products.
  • The cohort, called the Puerto Rico Studio, was created in partnership between Invest Puerto Rico (InvestPR), the island's business attraction organization, and Newlab, a renowned center of invention based in Brooklyn, NY.
  • Approximately 18,000 tires are disposed daily in Puerto Rico, and there are significant import and export constraints on the Island for plastics.
  • During the pilot, CarbonCycle will complete pre-development work to construct their technology in Puerto Rico.

Newlab’s Inaugural New Climate Futures Event Convened More than 1,000 Attendees to Advance Real-World Outcomes for Local and Global Climate Goals

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Environment, Technology, Climate Change, Environmental Issues, Other Energy, Environmental Health, Other Technology, Sustainability, Green Technology, Energy, Government, Partnership, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Climate change, Economic development, Organization, The Nature Conservancy, Ford Motor Company, EV, Breakthrough Energy, System, Climate Week NYC, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, Bank of America, City, Movement, Policy, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Learning, Bank, U.S. Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, Sargassum, ARPA, Michigan Central Railroad, 2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game, Filmmaking, Renewable energy, Industrial design, Mobility, Amazon, Activate

Newlab , a platform for deep tech startups, recently hosted its inaugural Climate Week event, New Climate Futures , at its Brooklyn Navy Yard flagship location.

Key Points: 
  • Newlab , a platform for deep tech startups, recently hosted its inaugural Climate Week event, New Climate Futures , at its Brooklyn Navy Yard flagship location.
  • By convening startups, industry leaders, corporate entities, and policymakers, Newlab facilitated connections and critical knowledge sharing for building and scaling climate solutions.
  • Attendees from organizations like Breakthrough Energy Ventures, The Nature Conservancy, The U.S. Department of Energy, Amazon, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and more were present to push solutions forward.
  • Newlab will be hosting New Climate Futures again in 2024 during Climate Week.

Seaweed is taking over coral reefs. But there's a gardening solution – sea-weeding

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Overload, Taste, Volunteering, Coral, Tourism, Friends, Great Barrier Reef, Earthwatch Institute, Light, Nutrient, Seaweed, Research, Carbon, Sunlight, Climate change, Magnetic Island, Biofuel, Water, Sargasso Sea, Great Barrier, Health, Economics, Citizen science, Limestone, Aquaculture, Agriculture, Pacific Ocean, Sargassum

On reef after reef, corals were dying off – and seaweed was growing in their place.

Key Points: 
  • On reef after reef, corals were dying off – and seaweed was growing in their place.
  • Since then, this pattern has been observed on reefs around the world: as corals die, seaweed takes over.
  • Former coral reefs will become dominated by seaweed instead, with cascading damage to reef ecosystems.
  • It’s designed to buy time while we tackle the main threats to the world’s largest reef system – notably, climate change.

How can seaweed take over?

    • They can colonise quickly, grow fast and tall, soaking up sunlight and competing directly with surviving corals for light and space.
    • Then there are feedback loops which can further prevent coral return – coral larvae are put off by chemicals emitted by seaweed.
    • At Yunbenun, the main genus of seaweed is Sargassum, most famous for their massive blooms in the Sargasso Sea.
    • Many fish will actively avoid areas with long, dense growth of seaweed for fear of predators hiding among the foliage.

Weeding the sea

    • The process is just like weeding a garden, but underwater.
    • We were aided in weeding by citizen scientists through Earthwatch Institute.
    • Importantly, the diversity of coral species increased too – and that means weeding isn’t favouring any single coral species.
    • If the economics stack up, removing mature macroalgae could provide a win-win for reef and climate health – even if it’s only small scale.

Where would this approach be most useful?

    • These are, as you’d expect, also the most accessible and the ones most often visited by tourists.
    • If you were going to use this technique more widely, it would make sense, therefore, to focus on nearshore reefs.
    • At present, there’s a lot of research being done on high-tech interventions such as breeding corals to tolerate hotter water, or brightening clouds.
    • She is a 2019 National Geographic Explorer, and is affiliated with James Cook University and the University of New South Wales.

Invest Puerto Rico partners with Newlab to turn waste and resources into new solutions and products

Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 25, 2023
Plastic, Partnership, Sargassum, Waste management, Mercado Libre, Ford, Seaweed, Research, Recycling, Orangi Pilot Project, SAN, Economic development, New York City Economic Development Corporation, LG, Verizon Communications, Tourism, Ørsted

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Invest Puerto Rico (InvestPR), the island's business attraction organization, in strategic partnership with Newlab, a renowned center of invention based in Brooklyn, NY, will establish an innovative project to convert unmanaged or landfilled items, such as sargassum seaweed, plastics and tires, into new value-added products.    

Key Points: 
  • Invest Puerto Rico and Newlab are recruiting entrepreneurs and early-stage companies to pilot innovative waste conversion solutions.
  • Through technology and collaboration, the partners will unlock the potential for renewable life cycles of materials, such as end-of-life tires, waste plastics and sargassum seaweed.
  • Tires are a damaging waste stream in Puerto Rico, with up to 18,000 tires being disposed daily on the island.
  • The project aims to transform discarded tires into valuable resources, reduce landfill waste and contribute to a circular economy.

Miami-Dade Innovation Authority Launches First Public Challenge, Seeks Novel, Sustainable Uses for Sargassum

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Environment, Technology, Other Technology, Public Policy, Government, Philanthropy, Fund Raising, State, Local, Other Philanthropy, Foundation, Citadel, Private sector, Food, Housing, Sargassum, Education, Periodic breathing, MDIA, Quality of life, Woman, Seaweed, Multimedia, Research, The Nature Conservancy, Nose, Sunlight, Israel Innovation Authority, Local government, Climate change, Investment, Collection, Nature, Climate, Weather, City, Ecosystem, Growth, TNC, Health, Transport, Safety, Locksmithing

View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230712273857/en/

Key Points: 
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230712273857/en/
    Kicking off Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the open call seeks novel and sustainable uses to beneficially repurpose sargassum, a type of seaweed known for forming large floating mats that wash up on beaches across the world during the warm summer months.
  • “The MDIA is dedicated to cultivating a thriving innovation ecosystem in Miami-Dade County,” said Leigh-Ann A. Buchanan, President & CEO of MDIA.
  • Sargassum is a vital part of a healthy ocean, but like sunlight and rainfall, too much can be harmful.
  • To learn more about The Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, Inc. please visit: https://www.mdia.miami/ .

Pegasus Capital Advisors and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs Announce Investment in Carbonwave

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 23, 2023
Partnership, Health, Seaweed, Coral Reefs, Investment, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Safety, Sargassum

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pegasus Capital Advisors and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) have announced an investment of up to $6 million into C-Combinator (d/ba/ Carbonwave), the world's leading developer of ultra-regenerative advanced biomaterials from seaweed. The investment will support Carbonwave's groundbreaking "cascading biorefinery" model for upcycling the over-supply of Sargassum seaweed into high-value biomaterials while simultaneously restoring ocean health and sequestering greenhouse gases.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pegasus Capital Advisors and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) have announced an investment of up to $6 million into C-Combinator (d/ba/ Carbonwave ), the world's leading developer of ultra-regenerative advanced biomaterials from seaweed.
  • Pegasus Capital Advisors and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) have announced an investment of up to $6 million into C-Combinator (d/ba/ Carbonwave), the world's leading developer of ultra-regenerative advanced biomaterials from seaweed.
  • "We are thrilled to receive an investment from the Global Fund for Coral Reefs.
  • Dale Galvin, Managing Director of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, shared his thoughts on the investment: "This collaboration highlights the Global Fund for Coral Reefs commitment to sustainable and impactful investments, and recognizes Carbonwave's significant potential to address the urgent human and environmental challenges posed by the Sargassum seaweed problem.

Space Coast Beaches Remain Clean and Pristine Despite Reports of Sargassum Algae Washing Ashore Elsewhere in Florida

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Space Coast Office of Tourism, University, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seaweed, NOAA, Coastwatch, Cocoa Beach, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Risk, Map, Water, COCOA, Sebastian Inlet State Park, News, Microalgae, Tourism, Sargassum, Atlantic Ocean, Space Coast

COCOA BEACH, Fla., June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With news reports continuing to cover instances of Sargassum, a naturally occurring seaweed that has washed up on some South Florida beaches, the Space Coast would like to assure visitors and locals that its shorelines and coastal waters remain clean, safe, and open for enjoyment.

Key Points: 
  • While experts continue to monitor the state's coastal waters, Space Coast locals and vacationers can check conditions 24/7 through live webcams and NOAA's CoastWatch page.
  • COCOA BEACH, Fla., June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With news reports continuing to cover instances of Sargassum, a naturally occurring seaweed that has washed up on some South Florida beaches, the Space Coast would like to assure visitors and locals that its shorelines and coastal waters remain clean, safe, and open for enjoyment.
  • Shorelines and coastal waters remain clean, safe, and open for enjoyment.
  • As of June 21, the NOAA map indicates the Space Coast as being "Low" risk for Sargassum impact.

Ecological Laboratories Announces Effective Solution for Sargassum Odor Reduction and Composting

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Laboratory, Enzyme, Nutrient, Seaweed, Research, Multimedia, Fungus, Soil, Wolinella, Compost, Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Ecology, Bacteria, Environment, Landfill, Rhodopseudomonas, Sargassum

CAPE CORAL, Fla., May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecological Laboratories, a leading developer of sustainable solutions for environmental challenges, announces an effective solution for Sargassum odor reduction and composting.

Key Points: 
  • CAPE CORAL, Fla., May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecological Laboratories, a leading developer of sustainable solutions for environmental challenges, announces an effective solution for Sargassum odor reduction and composting.
  • Ecological utilizes shelf-stable bacterial consortium mainly Rhodopseudomonas and Wolinella bacteria to significantly reduce the unpleasant odor and enhance the composting process of Sargassum seaweed.
  • This innovative solution promises to mitigate the environmental impact of Sargassum seaweed along Florida beaches.
  • "The utilization of Rhodopseudomonas and Wolinella bacteria in the composting process of Sargassum seaweed represents an advancement in waste reduction and soil improvement, while simultaneously addressing the issue of unpleasant odor associated with Sargassum accumulation".