• Energy Research

Los efectos de la llegada abundante de macroalgas, como el sargazo, a la península de Yucatán motivó el monitoreo de los arribazones por medio de un proyecto de ciencia ciudadana dirigido a poblaciones afectadas o interesadas. Por medio de cuestionarios y entrevistas semiestructuradas, se analizaron los aprendizajes de 18 participantes (de 16 a 18 años) de la primera etapa del proyecto. Entre los hallazgos, destacó la interrelación de los nuevos aprendizajes disciplinares sobre las macroalgas y los procedimentales del trabajo de campo. Los participantes mostraron actitudes renovadas y positivas hacia la ciencia y el arribazón. Se reflexiona sobre qué factores impulsaron sus aprendizajes y habilidades para la investigación al atender los objetivos científicos, entre ellos: la relevancia del problema, el taller introductorio y la socialización entre las científicas y los participantes.

In the last decade, unprecedented arrivals of pelagic Sargassum (Sargassum influx) have been reported for the Caribbean coasts causing severe ecological and economical affectations and remarking the necessity to characterize the phenomenon. In the north coast of the Mexican Caribbean, spatial characterization of Sargassum influx was performed in terms of its abundance, species composition and chemical content using a combination of in situ sampling and remote sensing evaluations. Sargassum influx was detected within the 25 km fringe near to Quintana Roo coast in coincidence with beach-cast events during September 2018. Significant spatial variation in abundance and species composition of the stranded biomass was found for the six localities studied, which was related to the local environmental conditions. Pelagic species of Sargassum were the main component ranging from 78.1 to 99.6% of the total beach-cast (wrack) fresh biomass, whereas benthic macrophytes (seagrasses and macroalgae) were a minor component reaching up to 21% in some localities. The biochemical composition of beach-cast Sargassum resulted spatially homogeneous for most of the components analyzed; only carbon tissue content, ash metals (particularly Fe and As) and isotopic composition changed spatially. This study represents baseline information for the region. Long-term seasonal evaluations of Sargassum influx along Mexican Caribbean are required to define adequate management strategies and exploitation.