Latest Macrocystis pyrifera Stories

By Cheryl Dybas, NSFMarine scientists discover wave disturbance, nutrient levels affect California giant kelp growthMarine scientists have a new view of the giant kelp in the Pacific Ocean--through a scuba mask and a satellite's "eye."Forests of giant kelp, or Macrocystis pyrifera, are found in temperate coastal regions and are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth.In a melding of data from the beneath the waves and from the skies above, researchers have developed a method...

Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have developed new methods for studying how environmental factors and climate affect giant kelp forest ecosystems at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales.The scientists merged data collected underwater by UCSB divers with satellite images of giant kelp canopies taken by the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper. The findings are published in the feature article of the May 16 issue of Marine Ecology Progress Series.In this marriage of marine ecology and satellite...

All along the California coast, stretching from Los Angeles to San Francisco, a species of rapidly-growing sea kelp from Japan has begun taking over the coastline and spreading quicker than authorities can contain it.The aggressive seaweed, known to scientists as Undaria pinnatifida, was first detected in the area in May when a local biologist noticed the marine plant clinging to piers and boats in a San Francisco Bay yacht harbor. "I was walking in San Francisco Marina, and that's when I saw...

Scientists in San Francisco said a team of divers has been recruited to rid marinas of an exotic form of fast-growing seaweed. The scientists said the kelp, Undaria pinnatifida, is native to Japan and China and was first discovered at the San Francisco Yacht Harbor and the South Beach Harbor in May, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday. The species can grow an entire inch in a single day, said experts with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center satellite lab at San Francisco...

Southern California Edison (SCE) today announced completion of the largest environmental project of its kind in the United States - a 175-acre artificial giant kelp reef off the coast here. With the placement of 120,000 tons of rock on the ocean floor, the project is expected to produce the nation's first sustainable artificial kelp forest attracting many species of coastal fish and invertebrates dependent on such underwater habitats for shelter and food. "This reef project is a blueprint...