Some forests grow underwater, and they grow fast. In ideal conditions kelp can grow up to 18 inches a day, rising into canopies that tower above the ocean floor. Like the trees of a forest on land, these giant algae give food and shelter to a huge number of living things.
A kelp forest. Credit: NOAA.
What kelp is
Kelp are large brown algae that live in cool, relatively shallow water close to shore, growing in dense groups much like a forest on land. Kelp forests line much of the west coast of North America. They need light for photosynthesis, so they form in shallow, open water, usually in cold, nutrient-rich seas, and are rarely found deeper than 49-131 feet.
A crowded forest
Kelp forests hold a greater variety of plants and animals than almost any other ocean community — thousands of species of fish, invertebrates and marine mammals. Many animals use the thick blades to shelter their young from predators and even from rough storms. Mammals and birds that come to the kelp for protection or food include seals, sea lions, whales, sea otters, gulls, terns, snowy egrets, great blue herons, cormorants and shorebirds.
Seasons in the sea
Like forests on land, kelp forests change with the seasons. Storms and large weather events such as El Niño can tear kelp loose, leaving a tattered winter forest that starts growing again each spring.
Watching them over time
NOAA scientists study kelp forests by returning to the same sites again and again to record which organisms are there, and how many. That monitoring shows whether a forest is changing — and helps identify whether the cause is natural or human.
Sources
Based on "What is a kelp forest?" from NOAA's National Ocean Service, a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from oceanservice.noaa.gov
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