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- It lives mostly on the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja, California

Image: the area where kelp forests are found

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- It looks like an underwater forest
-tall and leafy

-Grows from the ocean floor, 2-20 meters tall and can be as much as 20-30 cm above the ocean surface. It also does not have roots. It uses holdfasts as anchors to lock onto rocks. It has a gas bladder on top to keep the top of the kelp floating.

- It is a brown algae.

-It lives and grows in a dense colony. It is also in shallow water.

Image: what the kelp forest looks like

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Image: what the kelp forest looks like

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- Runoff is a major influence that harms the kelp forests and kills off some of the plants and makes others grow too quickly.

- Strong currents rip up the kelp from the ground, but they have adapted and made holdfasts. Holdfasts are stalks the plant has to keep the kelp attached to rocks or substrate.

- Light is a necessary factor that allows the plants to do photosynthesis.

- Temperature has to be just right for the kelp to survive. Water that is too warm or too cold will kill the kelp.

- The nutrients that are in the water are an important factor that ensures the kelp to grow and blossom.

Image: Diagram of the importance of holdfasts to keep the kelp secure to the ground.

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- Sea lions, seals, otters, and whales live in Kelp Forests. Herring and mackerel spawn in kelp beds.

-Sea lions and seals eat the fish in the kelp forest and hid from predators in there as well. The gray whales hind from killer whales in the kelp forest. Otters eat the se urchins that can overpopulate the sea floor, by eating them they make room for the kelp forest.

Image: A seal in the kelp forest

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Image: Kelp forrest at a very tall height.

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- Kelp is a primary producer in the food web
- Kelp provides for many organisms especially sea urchins

Image: Kelp being the primary producer suppling other species to carry on the food chain.

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- Sea urchins are the biotic factor that limits kelp growth the most.

- Sea urchins graze kelp and may reach population densities large enough to destroy kelp forests at the rate of 30 feet per month.

- Sea otters eat the urchins which allow for the kelp to not be destroyed as quickly.

- Other biotic factors that have less of an impact include but are not limited to spiny brittle star, moss head warbonnet,  California sea lion, cabezon, jellyfish, wolf eel, and more.

Image: Sea urchins grazing kelp in a large group.

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- If the kelp forrest was removed from a site it would cause distruction in it's ecosystem

-Because of the amount of shelter and nutrients the kelp forrest supplies it would cause other organisms to overpopulate or under-populate.

- The environment would look more empty. There would be a less diverse array of fish/marine wildlife. Also, since kelp is so rich in nutrients, when gone the soil  will loose some of that nutrients.

- Kelp forrest are also important for the batter against global warming because kelp and other marine algae can store up 1/5 of CO2 absorbed by oceans

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- Human activities such as over fishing, pollution, coastal development, kelp harvesting, and sedimentation have a negative impact on the kelp forrest. While these causes some humans may be benefiting off of such as over fishing, in the long term it will only hurt humans more.

- Kelp harvesting is a huge reason for decline in help forrest because it is used in the industrial and agricultural industries.

-  Long term consequences include altering the food chain, causing loss of habitat, and a decrease of the kelp forrest.

- Humans need to decrease pollution, starting with big companies. There should also be more restrictions on kelp harvesting as well. One interesting solution is having more kelp sanctuaries where more marine professionals help protect/ maintain the kelp in the environment. Kelp sanctuaries have been successful so far in protecting and maintaining the kelp forrest.

Image: Marine researcher  gathering data to help the kelp forest in California.

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https://www.nps.gov/glba/learn/nature/kelp-forest.htm

https://oceana.org/marine-life/marine-science-and-ecosystems/kelp-forest

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/oceans/kelp-forests.htm

https://seagrant.noaa.gov/News/Article/ArtMID/1660/ArticleID/2796/New-research-to-address-kelp-forest-crisis-in-California

https://oceanservice.noa/gov/facts/kelp.html

http://mdk12-archive.msde.maryland.gov/assessments/high_school/look_like/2005/biology/minitest6/index.html

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/visit/ecosystems/kelpimpacts.html

https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/blog/thar-she-blows-birch-aquarium-launches-13th-season-of-whale-watching/

http://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-techniques/article/underwater-photography-kelp-forests/

https://phys.org/news/2020-03-remote-south-american-kelp-forests.html

https://blueocean.net/get-little-kelp-friends/

https://kelpforestcalifornia.weebly.com/abiotic-factors.html

https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marine-mammals/harbor-seal-kelp-forest

https://marinesanctuary.org/blog/kelp-forest-loss-what-does-it-mean-and-why-does-it-matter/