growing organisms on earth. In favorable conditions—cold, clear,
nutrient-rich waters—it is able to grow up to two feet per day!
Unfortunately for kelp, an El Niño event brings strong winter
storms and warm, nutrient-poor waters to our coastline. Large
waves rip out established plants and unfavorable conditions slow
the re-establishment of new canopy.
The lack of kelp available during
these circumstances cause sea urchins to become aggressive grazers,
forcing them to emerge from their
safe refuge, creating “urchin fronts”
that can quickly wipe out the remaining kelp. These urchins dominate the
reef for long periods of time. Reefs
where these urchins have taken over
are called urchin barrens and our
Kelp Restoration Project focuses on
removing these to allow new kelp
plants to establish and grow.
By
Ian Jacobson
El Niño’s generally mean a warmer
late autumn, but with the prediction
of a milder event, the impact it will
have on our winter season will be
minimal. As of now, the kelp at our restoration sites is flourishing
and even survived the sizable swell we received from Hurricane
Marie. Water temperatures are slowly dropping and we expect to
see an increase in productivity as conditions become more favorable. More precipitation is also expected this winter, which spells
good news for California, but it is important to note that it won’t
be enough to rid us of the extreme drought we are facing. In light
of this, let us remember to be extra water conscious in these coming months. A great way you can help save water and generate
awareness is by signing our Dirty Car Pledge!
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