Spatial-Temporal Kelp Dynamics

The SPECTRAL lab is engaged in multiple projects focusing on the use of remote sensing technologies to map kelp forests on the coast of British Columbia. With multiple scientific and community partners we hope to gain a better understanding of kelp distribution, dynamics and change by developing novel techniques for kelp detection and image analysis.

Kelp-Encrusting Bryozoans with DFO Canada

Project Contributors: Silven Read, Sarah Schroeder, Aidan Wright, Jordanna Bergman, Alyssa Allchurch

Kelp forests in British Columbia (BC) provide habitat and shelter to many important species, particularly juvenile salmon, as they migrate from coastal rivers to the open ocean. However, kelp forests are currently threatened by human degradation and climate change, but precise losses are not known. Recently, Nations and researchers have noticed increases in kelp-encrusting bryozoans (KEB), a colonial animal that grows on kelps, reducing reproduction, increasing breakage, and decreasing the health of kelp forests. Although people are starting to understand kelp forest changes in BC, little is known about the impact and conditions that lead to KEB increases. This project aims to establish a latitudinal network of Sentinel areas along the BC coast where the spatial-temporal density of KEB and associated environmental conditions will be quantified. The outcomes of this project will define environmental conditions important for the placement of future kelp restoration sites and key conservation areas with benefits for the long-term survival of Pacific salmon.