Dr Anita Giraldo Ospina1,2, Dr Jenn Caselle1, Professor Mark Carr3, Dr Tom Bell4,1
1University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States, 2University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, 3University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, United States, 4Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth, United States
The kelp forests of Northern California were decimated when a marine heatwave extended for over 2 years in the region, resulting in kelp beds being replaced by urchin barrens and the closure of the recreational red abalone fishery. To facilitate the rehabilitation of this ecosystem, research and implementation of restoration projects have been initiated in California. However, kelp restoration is expensive and since local environmental factors will likely influence the success of a restoration project, site selection for restoration actions should offer the best possible chances of restoration success.
We developed spatial maps of stability of kelp density to be used as a proxy for the likelihood of kelp restoration success at any given location in California. To achieve this, we mapped the stability of the density of two kelp species, Nereocystis luetkeana and Macrocystis pyrifera, along the coast of California. We combined ecological data from long term monitoring programs with environmental variables to identify the drivers of kelp density in each geographic region of California using a spatial modeling approach. We then reconstructed the historic density of kelp along the California coast for the past 18 years and employed these results to calculate stability of kelp density at spatial resolutions relevant to kelp restoration efforts. A large proportion of the sites identified as highly stable are in accordance with stability metrics calculated from surveyed data and Landsat imagery, confirming the functionality of this tool at the time of site selection in the planning of restoration efforts in the state.
Presentation Slides – Anita Giraldo Ospina
Biography:
Anita is a postdoctoral researcher who conducts quantitative spatial modeling of kelp forest to identify the best environmental and biotic variables to which kelp responds to, with the aim of identifying the best locations to conduct kelp restoration efforts in California.
