Sargassum in Yucatán is creating a Citizen Science project

Due to the invasion of Sargassum on the coasts Caribbean and MexicoUNAM's Sisal Engineering Institute and other organizations are collaborating on the project Citizen science about Pelagic Sargassum.

This initiative is led by Victoria Dominguez Almena, from the University of Southampton; Christian Mario Appendini, from the UNAM Engineering Institute in Sisal, and Oscar Frausto Martinez, from Autonomous University of Quintana Roo (UQRoo), with support from the Cozumel City Council, National Committee for Protected Natural Areas (CONANB), Ecoprotección Akumal and Southern Border College (Ecosur).

Technology has played a critical role in this collaborative effort, UNAM highlighted, She explained that mobile applications and online platforms allow citizens to report sargassum sightings, providing real-time data that complements scientific observations.

Likewise, community engagement has been valued as offering a number of benefits, including increasing public awareness of the sargassum problem, and providing more data on it. Scientists and promote innovative solutions.

Likewise, greater communication between science and society is encouraged, thus promoting shared responsibility in environmental protection.

Currently, various measures have been reported to be implemented in Cozumel, such as the installation of fixed cameras, a weather station and radio stations. Citizen science In views on the East Coast: Chomul, Chin Ryu and San Martin.

These initiatives were complemented by placing informational posters about turtles and the dangers they are exposed to due to beach erosion, sargassum and plastic materials.

This effort is part of a broader monitoring process already underway Puerto Morelos and Akumal and will soon be expanded to Xcalak.

Meetings were held with teachers from Cozumel, Akumal and Puerto Morelos to further collaborate on the development of Sargassum-related educational materials, in line with New Mexican School.

In parallel, teachers from the University of Queensland were trained with the aim of guiding their students in visiting and using views Citizen science stations (Coastsnap) for monitoring beaches and sargassum basins. These teachers also conducted a pilot exercise with their students.

J.Y.