Explaining Beached Kelp

Explaining Beached Kelp

By Laura E.P. Rocchio

beached giant kelp
Mounds of beached giant kelp torn loose by large waves during a winter storm off Santa Barbara, California. Photo credit: Shane Anderson.

Have you ever walked along a California coast and wondered about all of the kelp washed-up on shore?

In winter when storms are more frequent, giant kelp is regularly washed ashore. University of California, Santa Barbara researcher David Reed and colleagues recently found that it is the wave action from these winter storms that is the most destructive force for the giant kelp forests—more so than temperature, nutrients, and kelp-eating sea urchins.

Using free Landsat 5 data, Reed and his team discovered that the amount of kelp lost in central California was double that lost in southern California. They have postulated that the heavier wave action along California’s central can be the only reason for this difference.

Reference

Reed, D.C., A.Rassweiler, M.H.Carr, K.C.Cavanaugh, D.P.Malone, and D.A.Siegel (2011). Wave disturbance overwhelms top-down and bottom-up control of primary production in California kelp forests. Ecology, November, Vol. 92, No. 11: 2108-2116 (doi: 10.1890/11-0377.1)


Waves mightier than sun, otter or urchin: storm disturbance shapes California kelp forests, by Liza Lester for Ecotone. [external link]

Post Last Updated on April 9, 2025
On Key

Recent Posts

This is an illustration of the Landsat 7 satellite acquiring imagery of the Earth from space. The artist rendering of Landsat 7 is above an image of Earth and is scanning a swath.

A Final Farewell to Landsat 7

The Landsat 7 satellite launched in April 1999 and will be decommissioned after 26 years in orbit. Its science mission, focused on collecting imagery data of Earth’s land and inland waters, spanned 25 years.

Read More »
On Key

Related Posts