Wondrous kelp beds harbor a complex ecosystem that’s teeming with life, cleaning the water and the atmosphere, and bringing ...

Kelp once formed “underwater rainforests” on the California coast, but these fragile ecosystems have largely disappeared. At a marine lab near the Bay Area, scientists are trying to bring them back.

When sea otters were reintroduced along the coastlines of islands in Southern California and British Columbia, researchers saw kelp forests return to areas that were destroyed by sea urchins. But how ...

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The weathered UC Davis Marine Laboratory looms in thick fog on the edge of the ocean near Bodega Bay. Inside, an experiment is playing out that gives a badly needed boost to ...

A chain reaction ensued after the kelp forest decline. With limited grazing availability, abalone were threatened and the ...

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, invertebrates and even mammals ...

After two fruitful years in South Australia, Jo Lane is back at her Tilba property with many more wide-ranging ...

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 ...

Urchin barren off the coast of Palos Verdes. BY TOM FORD / SMBRF Off the coast of Palos Verdes, the ocean floor is home to millions of purple urchins… and not much else. Kelp forests are iconic to the ...