"Giant kelp and bull kelp forests create habitats that support an amazing diversity of sea life, and their floating canopies are a prominent feature at the surface of California coastal waters. Recently, satellite imagery has shown a dramatic decline in Northern California kelp forests, and a significant, though patchy, loss of kelp forests in central California. Because of cloud cover and the low resolution of satellite imagery, estimates of kelp coverage are inaccurate and smaller kelp canopies can be entirely missed."
"Kelp restoration efforts have begun to address some of the most obvious losses, but the scale of these human intervention activities is smaller than a football field and will never be able to fully compensate for regional losses of kelp. So, which kelp forests are most critical to restore, and which are worthy of high-resolution monitoring by drones? These and related questions are what Melissa Ashley, a California Sea Grant fellow with Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary asked in a study she conducted."
Giant kelp and bull kelp forests form floating canopies that support diverse marine life and shape California coastal ecosystems. Satellite imagery indicates a dramatic decline in Northern California kelp and significant, patchy losses in central California. Cloud cover and low satellite resolution lead to inaccurate kelp coverage estimates and can entirely miss smaller canopies. Current kelp restoration efforts occur at very small scales and cannot fully compensate for regional declines. Diverse stakeholders—including kelp harvesters, fishers, surfers, scuba divers, kayakers, scientists, educators, and tour operators—identify priority areas for restoration and high-resolution monitoring to support ecological and economic benefits.
Read at www.montereyherald.com
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