‘The forgotten forest’: how smashing 5.6m urchins saved a California kelp paradise Pollution, warm oceans and hungry urchins devastated Pacific kelp. Now, thanks to divers with hammers, one of the world’s most successful rehabilitation projects has helped it rebound

Smashing urchins.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
🦑🧪

CO2 X warming treatment in a tide pool. Black boxes on the high ledge hold batteries & circuit boards, with tubes leading to heating elements in the pool. The smaller black box generates CO2, which bubbles into the pool.

Just out in @jexpbiol.bsky.social: Great work by @racinerangel.bsky.social documenting effects of a 6-month factorial field manipulation of warming X CO2 on intertidal mussel shell thickness, strength, & corrosion. #SitkaNSF @cascadejbs.bsky.social journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Solid work highlighting climate-change risk to a “tough” species touted for its ability to resist environmental variability & buffer other species against environmental stress: “even the hardiest species may struggle to keep up with the pace of warming.” #MarineLife #Seaweed 🌍🌊🦑

Well this is worrying.

A path towards appropriate degradation experiments for assessing carbon sequestration potential of macroalgae We systematically reviewed literature on macroalgal degradation. To date, most degradation experiments are carried out in aquaria or shallow environments, span short timescales or rarely incorporate ....

Check out our new review paper, championed by Lydia White, "A path towards appropriate degradation experiments for assessing carbon sequestration potential of macroalgae". Read it here: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @coastclim.bsky.social @tvarminne.bsky.social #mCDR

Undersea Conversations: How Fish Keep The Peace in a Noisy Ocean How do fish communicate in a noisy ocean? A new NOAA-supported study analyzed 18 years of recordings to map the 'who, when, and where' of fish chorusing in three national marine sanctuaries in Califor...

From our friends at @noaa.gov Office of National Marine Sanctuaries:

A new study led by scientists with Scripps Oceanography, NOAA, @mbarinews.bsky.social & the US Navy reveals how fish in West Coast sanctuaries “share” the soundscape.

These insights help managers protect vital habitats.

Unmasking the Sea Star Killer After a decade of carnage, we finally know what’s devastating sea stars along North America’s West Coast. Does that mean scientists can save them?

We are so proud of our sea star wasting work that came out today. This interactive article is very complete and includes beautiful videos.
Unmasking the Sea Star Killer www.biographic.com/unmasking-th...

Sloes are great for lemonade in my experience. In Sweden one should wait to pick them until after the first frost.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 People behind the Project. Welcome to the fabulous Dr Ray Ward, Reader of Marine Sciences at Queen Mary University of London and the research lead for SKRP on carbon sequestration..
⭐ Ray's favourite kelp creature...the undulate ray, of course 😉!
📸 The Undulate Ray Project

Dr Aaron Eger from @unsw.edu.au is a finalist in the Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science.

Learn more: youtu.be/M06od5P7s1s

#EurekaPrizes

Light limitation and water velocity modify the impacts of simulated marine heatwaves on juvenile giant kelp Coastal regions are complex habitats, where multiple natural and anthropogenic drivers can interact to affect the survival and growth of marine organisms. The giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera is sensi...

Our new paper in Journal of Phycology has come out today. Low light and low water motion can exacerbate the effects of marine heatwaves on giant kelp:

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 People behind the Project. We'd like to introduce you to some of the people who make up our little kelp forest. Hello to the fabulous Sam Fanshawe, Senior UK Projects Manager at Blue Marine Foundation.

🐟 Sam's favourite kelp creature...the colourful cuckoo wrasse!

📸 Darin Smith

😮

The role of microbiota in kelp gametophyte development and resilience to thermal stress Ocean warming is driving profound changes in the ecology of marine habitat formers such as kelps, with negative implications for the biodiversity and ecosystem services they support. Thermal stress c...

Hello bluesky! Happy to transition here and kick it off with a new publication and alltogether great collaboration with @a-h-mcgrath.bsky.social: microbes may increase kelp gametophyte thermal resilience and help them have sex 🦠🌊🌿!

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Jarrett Byrnes and John Griffin converse in front of a seaweed-filled aquarium at the International Temperate Reef Symposium gala.

Icons of the future… At some point in the future, a mid-career researcher will see this pairing and be similarly inspired. So great to spend time with you this week, @jebyrnes.bsky.social & @jngriffy.bsky.social! #ITRS2025

The sea urchin Paracentrotus seems to not like to graze on the invasive macroalga Rugulopteryx okamurae.
@bernalocean.bsky.social
#ITRS2025
🧪🦑

Can the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus aid in the control of the invasive macroalga Rugulopteryx okamurae? @bernalocean.bsky.social is studying this issue.
#ITRS2025

🎧 Want to hear about our our project from those wonderful folk at ‪@oceanographicmag.bsky.social‬? Have a listen to their podcast: 'UK marine life BOUNCING BACK after kelp recovery - The Ocean News Podcast' here (or from wherever you get your podcasts): open.spotify.com/episode/5tS6...

Anne Salomon taking us on a marvelous deep dive through time, recontextualising people’s relationship with coastal ecosystems #ITRS2025 #marineecology 🧪🦪🌱🎣 @ifremer.bsky.social @ofbiodiversite.bsky.social @sbroscoff.bsky.social @thembauk.bsky.social

Great evening, gathering the COASTFRAG group at the #ITRS2025 conference in Brest, France, for discussions of results and plans for our intertidal rockweeds habitat fragmentation work.

Part of our team is attending the 14th International Temperate Reef Symposium (ITRS) in Brest!

Really interesting talk Gray William about gastropods and nerdy rocky shore science at #ITRS205. We can learn a lot from intertidal snails. 🧪🦑

Powerpoint slide with the title "The elephant in the restoration room". If we are to stop and repair kelp loss, we need to initiate between 4600 and 392 million new projects (per year)! Given that the typical restoration project is 100 m2 over 2 years. Largest ever successful project was 870 Ha.

More from @twernberg.bsky.social at #ITRS2025: We must to step up seriously if we want to stop and repair kelp loss. Is it even feasible? Daunting amount of restoration projects needed (maybe millions).

A powerpoint slide with the title "Phycocene", making the point that we need to acknowledge the values of seaweeds/kelp and also need to have honest conversations about their status and possible solutions.

At #ITRS2025: @twernberg.bsky.social talks about the Phycocene, and that we need to have honest discussions about solutions for saving our oceans and #kelp forests.
🧪🦑

Turf algae redefine the chemical landscape of temperate reefs, limiting kelp forest recovery In temperate regions experiencing rapid ocean warming, kelp forests are being replaced by chemically rich turf algae. However, the extent to which these turf algae alter the surrounding chemical envir...

Such a cool project presented by Shane Farrell here at #ITRS2025. Ecology of kelp forests and turf algae meets chemical ecology. Check out the Science paper: www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
🧪🦑

We're at #ITRS2025, and there are so many interesting talks on kelp!

This #PhycologyFriday we found an amazing diversity of marine algae during the gorgeous low tide @stanfordhopkins.bsky.social

Lost underwater forests are returning to Sydney’s coastline | CNN In the coastal waters around Sydney, a team of dedicated scientists is restoring crayweed forests.

Lost underwater forests are returning to Sydney’s coastline.
edition.cnn.com/science/aust...
@adriatix.bsky.social
#kelp 🧪🦑

A very extreme and unusual presentation of pink-spot disease on a kelp spool

For this #PhycologyFriday I'm happy to share my ✨new paper✨ about #kelp disease -> rdcu.be/ets28

Pink-spot disease occurs in kelp nurseries across North America and Europe according to our survey and we identified a bacteria (Algicola sp.) as the likely causative agent.

🦑 #aquaculture

Into the Blue: Securing a Sustainable Future for Kelp Forests Into the Blue: Securing a Sustainable Future for Kelp Forests global synthesis report is the most comprehensive knowledge review on kelp to date, revealing the state of science on the world’s kelp for...

Want to get a good overview of #kelp forests? Have a look at the UN report: Securing a Sustainable Future for Kelp Forests www.unep.org/resources/re...
🦑🧪