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Developing a Status and Trends Assessment for Floating Kelp Canopies across Large Geographic Areas
Christina A Frieder1, Tom W Bell2, Helen Berry3
1Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, Costa Mesa, California 92626, United States.
Environmental Science & Technology
|November 13, 2025
Summary
A new Kelp Indicator tracks forest status across the U.S. West Coast. Despite recent improvements, kelp canopies remain below historical levels, highlighting ongoing management needs.
Area of Science:
- Marine ecology
- Conservation science
- Oceanography
Background:
- Effective kelp forest management requires accessible status and trend data.
- Current U.S. West Coast monitoring is often subregional and scientifically focused.
- A scalable, broadly communicable indicator is needed for policymakers and managers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an integrated index of kelp status and trend for the U.S. West Coast.
- To create a simple, informative gauge for diverse audiences, including policymakers.
- To provide a tool for resource management, policy improvement, and research prioritization.
Main Methods:
- Developed an index based on floating kelp canopies.
- Assessed kelp canopy within coastal segments for multi-scale analysis.
- Established a reference period using pre-2014 marine heatwave data.
Main Results:
- Kelp canopies remain below historical baselines coast-wide since 2014.
- No coast-wide recovery to reference levels observed.
- Substantial kelp canopy improvement in 2024, stalling recent downward trends.
Conclusions:
- The Kelp Indicator effectively integrates data across large scales.
- The indicator provides crucial information for resource management and policy.
- Continued monitoring and research are essential for kelp forest recovery efforts.
