Building a collaborative network to quantify kelp forest ecology with SCUBA-based index sites in the southern Salish Sea
Presentation Abstract
Kelp forests facilitate numerous species from phytoplankton to whales – organisms that have a tremendous impact on ecological functioning and human wellbeing. Despite documented kelp declines in portions of the Salish Sea in recent decades, a lack of ecological data currently limits conservation/restoration progress. A strong partnership is being built for monitoring kelp canopies from the surface, and a program for widespread, systematic underwater monitoring is needed. Our vision is a network of SCUBA-based, long-term kelp index sites that assess our rich kelp forests through biological surveys paired with environmental instrumentation. These high resolution index sites will complement other technologies that assess underwater habitat at larger scales. A network will help us to: (1) understand the existing natural resource and the species that comprise kelp beds; (2) define the environment that will support kelp so that we can improve our ability to craft meaningful hypotheses and select restoration sites; (3) detect and interpret change as climate change and other human impacts continue to increase; and 4) connect kelp interests within our region and more broadly to increase understanding of marine systems in the Northeast Pacific. Our initial goal is to establish 14 index sites with contemporary or historical bull kelp beds. Biological surveys, conducted each year during the growing season, assess primary space occupation (substrate and sessile animals), algae, invertebrates, and fish. Instruments will measure light, temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen near-surface and near-bottom of the water column. We tested initial survey methods in 2020, and, in summer 2021, completed eight sites from Freshwater Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Squaxin Island in southern Puget Sound. In these preliminary data, we observed shifts in taxonomic identity and abundance across the spatial gradient, hinting at the utility of a broad data network to understanding ecological dynamics.
Session Title
Kelp Monitoring - Collaboration & Technology
Conference Track
SSE9: Nearshore
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-380
Start Date
26-4-2022 11:30 AM
End Date
26-4-2022 1:00 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Kelps--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Kelp bed ecology--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Environmental monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Building a collaborative network to quantify kelp forest ecology with SCUBA-based index sites in the southern Salish Sea
Kelp forests facilitate numerous species from phytoplankton to whales – organisms that have a tremendous impact on ecological functioning and human wellbeing. Despite documented kelp declines in portions of the Salish Sea in recent decades, a lack of ecological data currently limits conservation/restoration progress. A strong partnership is being built for monitoring kelp canopies from the surface, and a program for widespread, systematic underwater monitoring is needed. Our vision is a network of SCUBA-based, long-term kelp index sites that assess our rich kelp forests through biological surveys paired with environmental instrumentation. These high resolution index sites will complement other technologies that assess underwater habitat at larger scales. A network will help us to: (1) understand the existing natural resource and the species that comprise kelp beds; (2) define the environment that will support kelp so that we can improve our ability to craft meaningful hypotheses and select restoration sites; (3) detect and interpret change as climate change and other human impacts continue to increase; and 4) connect kelp interests within our region and more broadly to increase understanding of marine systems in the Northeast Pacific. Our initial goal is to establish 14 index sites with contemporary or historical bull kelp beds. Biological surveys, conducted each year during the growing season, assess primary space occupation (substrate and sessile animals), algae, invertebrates, and fish. Instruments will measure light, temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen near-surface and near-bottom of the water column. We tested initial survey methods in 2020, and, in summer 2021, completed eight sites from Freshwater Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Squaxin Island in southern Puget Sound. In these preliminary data, we observed shifts in taxonomic identity and abundance across the spatial gradient, hinting at the utility of a broad data network to understanding ecological dynamics.
