From conserving our coasts to defending the local weather, seaweed is important to our pure world, however because of rising sea temperatures, kelp forests are dwindling.
That’s why we’re working with marine biologists Luke Moir & Lauren Rose on a analysis challenge to assist speed up kelp reforestation within the UK.
Seaweed: the plant lifetime of the ocean (or macroalgae to be exact). To most, the seaweed you’ll discover washed up on the seashore doesn’t provoke ideas of a magical undersea world full of mysterious creatures – not as vividly as our eight legged buddy, the octopus may anyway.
However we imagine that it’s very particular, integral in truth, to life each underneath the ocean and above it. Seaweed, (referred to as kelp in its greatest type), offers one of the productive habitats on the planet. Identical to bushes on land, kelp forests take in the greenhouse fuel, carbon dioxide, making them a vital device within the battle in opposition to local weather change. Even higher – kelp forests are estimated to seize 20x extra carbon dioxide per acre than land forest, quickly rising by as a lot as 2ft per day. In uneven seas, the fronds will usually break off and take captured carbon deep right down to the seafloor, the place it could possibly be saved for millenia.
Kelp offers one of the productive habitats on the planet.
Luke inspects some unfastened oarweed from a tidal pool to determine if it is going to be wholesome sufficient to make use of within the culturing course of
This very important a part of the ocean ecosystem offers meals and secure habitats for fish, seals and different marine creatures, while concurrently defending coastlines from erosion. There’s worth in farming it too, as each a brilliant wholesome (and attractive) meals supply, and a automobile biofuel, making kelp a key ingredient for sustainability sooner or later – so it’s fairly magical when you consider it.
However like many great and very important elements of nature, international kelp populations have been falling dramatically lately, as a consequence of an increase in sea temperatures and dangerous industrial practices like trawling. Immediately as much as 90% of kelp forests between Canada and Norway have been misplaced.
That’s the place Octopus Vitality steps in. We’ve been working in collaboration with marine biologists, Luke Moir and Lauren Rose, with assist from our associates at Scarborough Sea Life, on a pilot examine to bridge gaps within the analysis round British kelp reforestation, and assess the potential of large-scale conservation tasks sooner or later.
The mission
Our objective is to assist kickstart sea kelp conservation within the UK, by growing new analysis off the English coast. We wish to examine the advantages of sea kelp when grown off our shores, finally paving the way in which for bigger tasks sooner or later.
Traditionally kelp research have lagged behind analysis in different forms of habitat restoration, akin to forests on land and different marine habitats. As a comparatively new science, focussed on a various and sophisticated setting, perception into how kelp may be utilised to guard the local weather and marine biodiversity (notably on the British coast) has been restricted – till now.
The plan
We’ve collected and cultured native kelp species with the intention of building a synthetic reef, offering a base for kelp and different marine life to develop. From there we’ll assess the expansion charges of the seaweed to find out the quantity of CO2 absorbed, and measure any enhancements in biodiversity. The method will look one thing like this…
- Acquire and develop our native kelp within the lab – at the moment in progress
- Spray the factitious reef with cultivated kelp spores.
- Scuba dive to deploy the reef.
- Permit the kelp to develop, attracting extra wildlife like fish, seals and seagulls.
- Observe and monitor for round a yr to collate our analysis.
Luke prepares the seaweed to stimulate the discharge of spores.
Why Octopus and why now?
At Octopus our focus is on making power greener and cheaper, however we recognise that there’s little level in rising renewable power to guard the local weather, with out defending the planet’s ecosystem on the similar time. Additionally in relation to our love for marine life, effectively – the clues within the title.
Seaweed is on no account the ‘silver bullet’ for environmental points however it’s important to the ecosystem. By enhancing analysis we will pave the way in which for each conservation and sustainable farming sooner or later, with advantages on agriculture, biodiversity, local weather change initiatives and past. There’s by no means been a extra pressing time to assist defend our oceans, and what higher place to start out.