Search for: All records

Kelp forests are among the world's most productive marine ecosystems, and they have the potential to locally ameliorate ocean acidification (OA). In order to understand the contribution of kelp metabolism to local biogeochemistry, we must first quantify the natural variability and the relative contributions of physical and biological drivers to biogeochemical changes in space and time. We deployed an extensive instrument array in Monterey Bay, CA, inside and outside of a kelp forest to assess the degree to which giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) locally ameliorates present‐day acidic conditions which we expect to be exacerbated by OA. Temperature, pH, and O₂variability occurred at semidiurnal, diurnal (tidal and diel), and longer upwelling event periods. Mean conditions were driven by offshore wind forcing and the delivery of upwelled water via nearshore internal bores. While near‐surface pH and O₂were similar inside and outside the kelp forest, surface pH was elevated inside the kelp compared to outside, suggesting that the kelp canopy locally increased surface pH. We observed the greatest acidification stress deeper in the water column where pCO₂reached levels as high as 1,300 μatm and aragonite undersaturation (Ω_Ar < 1) occurred on several occasions. At this site, kelp canopy modification of seawater properties, and thus any ameliorating effect against acidification, is greatest in a narrow band of surface water. The spatial disconnect between stress exposure at depth and reduction of acidification stress at the surface warrants further assessment of utilizing kelp forests as provisioners of local OA mitigation.

 

Climate change is causing decreases in pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) in coastal ecosystems. Canopy-forming giant kelp can locally increase DO and pH through photosynthesis, with the most pronounced effect expected in surface waters where the bulk of kelp biomass resides. However, limited observations are available from waters in canopies and measurements at depth show limited potential of giant kelp to ameliorate chemical conditions. We quantified spatiotemporal variability of surface biogeochemistry and assessed the role of biological and physical drivers in pH and DO modification at two locations differing in hydrodynamics inside and outside of two kelp forests in Monterey Bay, California in summer 2019. pH, DO, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and temperature were measured at and near the surface, in conjunction with physical parameters (currents and pressure), nutrients, and metrics of phytoplankton and kelp biological processes. DO and pH were highest, with lower DIC, at the surface inside kelp forests. However, differences inside vs. outside of kelp forests were small (DO 6–8%, pH 0.05 higher in kelp). The kelp forest with lower significant wave height and slower currents had greater modification of surface biogeochemistry as indicated by larger diel variation and slightly higher mean DO and pH, despite lower kelp growth rates. Differences between kelp forests and offshore areas were not driven by nutrients or phytoplankton. Although kelp had clear effects on biogeochemistry, which were modulated by hydrodynamics, the small magnitude and spatial extent of the effect limits the potential of kelp forests to mitigate acidification and hypoxia.