To date, very little is known as to how coastal processes from land can influence kelp forest dynamics in northern California, presenting a large knowledge gap as to potential drivers of kelp forest resilience and restoration potential. Our goal for this project is to evaluate methods for establishing bull kelp refugia close to Drakes Estero along Point Reyes National Seashore, and characterize the connectivity between the estuary and nearshore reefs to inform restoration efforts.
Climate change has led to big changes in ocean conditions, specifically ocean warming events. These ocean "heat waves" have led to the decimation of our once iconic northern California kelp forests. This project will build on the last three years of kelp restoration research in the Hughes Lab, with the goal of restoring several acres of kelp forest at Albion Cove in Mendocino County.
The decline in northern California kelp forests has triggered scientists and ecosystem managers to address the decline by better understanding the causes of kelp forest die-off. This unprecedented event has presented an opportunity to study the decline and work towards solutions for restoring kelp forests. With funding from The Nature Conservancy, the Hughes Lab at Sonoma State University will be conducting surveys across a gradient of kelp forest decline, as there are still a few resilient patches left to learn and study from.
The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) was established by the California Legislature in 1999, and it's main purpose was to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that would serve as "ocean parks" to protect marine life and habitat. We are now about 15 year into the process and to date we still have very little understanding of estuaries within the MLPA network, and if they are meeting their goals of enhancing fisheries and protecting biodiversity.
