Our goal in this 5-year study was to investigate sugar kelp cultivation as a strategy for mitigating ocean acidification, through improved seawater conditions or by providing shelter for sensitive species.

A collaborative team led by PSRF investigated the power of sugar kelp to improve seawater conditions locally. With increasingly corrosive conditions ahead, the project tested the efficacy of using native vegetation to buffer the pH of seawater in places with important shellfish resources. The 5-year project implemented a key recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification with funding from The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the U.S. Navy, and the involvement of world class ocean acidification (OA) scientists. Please read our Summary of Findings to learn more. Also, explore System Science Applications’s Seaweed AquaModel, developed as a part of this project to simulate kelp growth and track the effects of kelp cultivation on ocean acidification.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES