skip to main content

NASA Goddard SFC: The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt

3 minutes 53 seconds

Now Playing As: Captioned (English) (change)

The educational video "NASA Goddard SFC: The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt" explores the phenomenon of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, a large accumulation of sargassum seaweed affecting the Caribbean. Viewers learn how changes in ocean currents around 2009-2010 helped this seaweed thrive in the tropical Atlantic, fueled by excess nutrients. The video highlights the ecological impact of sargassum on coastal environments, its role in open ocean ecosystems, and its negative effects on communities when it accumulates along coastlines, releasing hydrogen sulfide gas. Remote sensing technology used by NASA, like satellites and computer models, plays a vital role in tracking these seaweed blooms, providing useful data to help manage and mitigate potential environmental threats. Relevant to school-aged children, the video offers insights into marine life, ecology, environmental issues, and oceanography, linking science and technology in real-world applications.

Media Details

Runtime: 3 minutes 53 seconds

Map of Alaska with Anchorage displayed. 1964 Epicenter indicated on coastline in bay adjacent to Anchorage. Caption: The epicenter was in Prince William Sound
11 minutes 37 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
A group of people visiting an active volcano. Caption: scientists visited New Zealand's topol volcanic zone,
4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
Episode 17
2 minutes 19 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
A diagram illustrates certain traits recurring in a grain plant. Caption: Those traits remain the same generation after generation.
4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
Episode 21
2 minutes 19 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Closeup of a crocodile with its mouth open. Inset of a blue, green and yellow infrared image at left.
4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
Episode 32
2 minutes 19 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Aerial view of a rolling red rock landscape with a small arch formation in foreground.
4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
Episode 41
3 minutes 59 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Earth floats in darkness as cracks in its surface emanate orange light.
4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
Episode 43
4 minutes 9 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Yellow wildflower in foreground, low shrubs and dead trees in background. Boulder County Colorado Front Range. Caption: (Rother) This is a portion of the 2003 Overland Fire.
WildFIRE PIRE
Episode 1
3 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Closeup of hands holding a narrow, red tubular object. Caption: With a warmer climate, do we suspect to see more fire?
WildFIRE PIRE
Episode 8
9 minutes 23 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Close up on flames burning a piece of bark. In the background, rows of trees have been flattened and burnt to the ground. Text reads, “A World Without Forests.”
A World Without
Episode 1
53 minutes 36 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
View of a field with brown and black cows scattered around as they eat grass. In the distance are large silos and barns. Text reads, "Agriculture and Rural Land Use."
Advanced Placement Human Geography: Making Sense of Planet Earth
Episode 6
28 minutes 51 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Apply for a Free Membership

Major funding provided by the Department of Education