Though spatially distinct, the Santa Barbara Channel’s subtidal kelp forests and its sandy beaches are intimately connected. Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), the foundation species of rocky reefs, ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif) — The kelp forest is ephemeral, yet foundational. Fronds of this fast-growing giant seaweed come and go with the seasons, storms and waves, supporting communities of fish, ...

Researchers examining a century of ocean maps made an exciting discovery linking sea otter populations to kelp forests: Where sea otters thrive, so do these critical underwater habitats. The research ...

A sea otter floating above ribbons of kelp is undoubtedly one of nature’s cutest scenes. It’s well known that the marine ...

A new study from researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology found that saving kelp forests is not only good for the oceans — it’s good for the economy as well. In the study, which was ...

Adorably fuzzy sea otters aren’t just cute. The marine mammals serve a crucial role, helping to restore the giant kelp forests they rely on by removing their top predators, the sea urchins. When ...

The kelp forests that hug the Pacific coastline are an underwater jungle. They're a thicket of colossal algae intermixed with a pageant of life that includes snails, urchins, sea lions, sea otters, ...

WASHINGTON – Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Angus King of Maine have teamed up with Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) to introduce the bicameral Help Our Kelp Act. Over the last 50 years, the ...

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was co-published with Scientific American and supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center. MONTEREY — It’s 1988. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is four years old, and so am I.

Though spatially distinct, the Santa Barbara Channel’s subtidal kelp forests and its sandy beaches are intimately connected. Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), the foundation species of rocky reefs, ...