According to the latest forecast bulletin from Météo France dated 5 janvierNo significant groundings are currently reported in the vicinity of Saint Martin and Saint BarthélemySargassum seaweed remains mostly confined to the southern Lesser Antilles, between Barbados and Martinique. However, the trend for the next two weeks indicates a gradual increase in arrivals, algae developing around Barbados expected to drift northwards under the influence of currents.
This perspective is in line with a 2025: An exceptional year for the northern islands. Analyses conducted at the end of the year show that 2025 will be the year with the highest cumulative surface area since the phenomenon began in 2011. The season started very early, without any real respite at the beginning of the year, before experiencing a rapid and massive intensification between May and August, a period during which strandings reached exceptionally high levels. After this peak, arrivals remained at a sustained pace until October, reflecting continued pressure on coastlines and a particularly late end to the season.
This dynamic confirms a trend observed since 2018, marked by a progressive reinforcement of the excess sargassum regime in the northern islands. The persistence of rafts at the end of the year and the presence of significant accumulations in the central Atlantic thus suggest a potentially early start to the 2026 season. _Vx
Sargassum Mission
Faced with these challenges, monitoring remains active. Since 2020, Météo France has been conducting operational monitoring of sargassum as part of the National plan, based on the satellite remote sensing and the daily analysis of images to anticipate trajectories and the risks of stranding. This system is essential for informing local communities and adapting prevention and management measures as effectively as possible, given that the threat of sargassum seaweed remains ongoing. As a reminder, between February and October 2025, 18.000 tonnes of sargassum were collected on the beaches of Saint-Martin, including 5.400 tonnes last July.
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/environnement-sargasses-meteo-france-annonce-une-reprise-progressive-des-arrivages/
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