Kelp Forests: An Underwater Ecosystem With Untapped Potential to Tackle Climate Change
Underwater solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change. Tapping the carbon sequestration potential of Kelp forests.
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Whenever we talk about efforts to bring down carbon emissions, we immediately think of trees, forests and other carbon sequestration techniques on land. Rarely do we acknowledge the importance of underwater solutions, and even when we do, kelp forests hardly find a mention.
In fact, scientists have previously studied the carbon sequestration potential of mangroves, coral reefs, and rainforests, but kelp forests have largely been overlooked.
Even the recently concluded COP26 identified a lot of ecosystems for restoration and conservation. There was a lot of talk about land-based solutions like tree planting. Yet, we’ve ignored one of the major climate actions: the oceans. It is high time we talk about ocean-based solutions, including kelp forests.
So, What Are Kelp Forests?
Kelp forests are underwater ecosystems dominated by kelps which are brown macroalgae and are also known as large seaweed. They grow in cool, nutrient-rich waters and are found along cold and temperate coastlines of the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, China, and Japan. They are absent in tropical waters due to a lack of nutrients in warm oligotrophic waters.
Oceans cover 71 per cent of the Earth and consist of important marine ecosystems like mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs and kelp forests which help in maintaining the natural carbon cycle. These diverse habitats provide valuable ecosystem services, namely home, shelter and food.
Kelps are extremely important for the formation of complex habitats because of the formations they develop into, namely canopy, stipitate and kelps that lie directly against the seafloor. It grows on stone and not from the ocean floor, so the carbon it absorbs is not transferred to the bottom of the ocean floor, unlike mangroves and seagrasses.
These forests have a rapid growth rate and convert carbon dioxide into energy which is a vital source of food for marine organisms. They provide shelter to a large number of species and act as refuges and nurseries. Offshore kelps protect human settlements and bird nesting sites by lowering the effects of waves and preventing erosion of the coastline. Kelps also purify water by removing waste products released from the animals living in these forests. Commercially they are used in a number of products like food, cosmetics, paints, vitamin supplements, etc.
Kelps for Climate Action
Kelps are 20 times more efficient than their terrestrial counterparts in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Till four or five years back, scientists did not think that kelp forests could sequester CO2 from the atmosphere on a large scale.
But a new study by Krause-Jensen and her colleague from the University of Copenhagen in 2016 has indicated that kelp forests play an important role in carbon sequestration and have a much better potential to store CO2 as compared to other marine ecosystems like coral reefs and mangroves.
The new data is important for ‘carbon accounting’ and can help in global calculations for the quantity of carbon storage in the natural environment and can also be included in climate models and carbon budgets.
Kelps are keystone species, indicating that they are vital and without them, the entire ecosystem would collapse. As per a 2018 study by ecologists Nyssa Silbiger and Cascade Sorte from the University of California, seaweeds i.e. kelp, help in rehabilitating their immediate environment by increasing the pH level and reducing the acidity of the seawater. It can offset the process of ocean acidification.
Conservation Efforts by Individuals and Organizations
Designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) would be a positive step for conserving these ecosystems. There are individuals and organizations working towards this goal. Nur Arafeh- Dalmau, a PhD candidate from the University of Queensland, is leading a project of mapping and identify potential sanctuaries for giant kelp forests.
In Australia, kelp forests are being restored through assisted recovery and active restoration methods.
An ongoing project called Operation Crayweed, a flagship project of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Australia is another example of targeted kelp forest restoration, which started in 2011 with an aim to restore cray weed forests to the reefs where it previously flourished and re-establish these forests and food source for the coastal marine biodiversity of Sydney.
It’s Time to Turn to Ocean-Based Solutions
The world is realizing the importance of kelp forests and their role in mitigating the effects of climate change, so our first priority should be to save these ecosystems from threats like pollution, poor water quality, intensive kelp farming, invasive species, destructive fishing practices, accidental damage by boat entanglement, overfishing and climate change.
Restoration of degraded kelp forests needs to be carried out with the help of coastal communities, citizen scientists, researchers and other relevant stakeholders.
Seaforestation, which involves restoration, planting, managing and caring for kelp forests, has benefits for biodiversity. Local communities-led stewardship and economic potential, including the use of kelp for cattle feed which can reduce methane emissions by up to 98 per cent.
Individuals and the public become citizen scientists and help to observe and report degrading kelp forests near their coastal areas and water bodies, monitor restoration efforts, create awareness in their local communities about kelps and their importance and can also donate to organizations working in saving kelp forests.
Organizations can involve citizen scientists and volunteers to work with them in their projects, awareness workshops and other events.
With all the noise around degrading kelp forests, there is a ray of hope too. In 2021, a team from The Nature Conservancy observed that kelp forests have made a comeback after years of degradation, which is positive news for our fight against climate change. It’s important for us to celebrate these wins and continue to march towards a sustainable future with every species thriving in its natural habitat.
