• About
    • About the FIA
    • Priorities
    • Our Team
    • Brainstorming Board
    • Partners and Affiliates
    • Contact Us
  • News + Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Videos
    • Newsletters
    • @FIAumd
    • In the Media
  • Spark Grants
    • Spark Grants Overview
    • Spark Grants FAQ
    • 2012-2015 Seed Grants
    • 2012-2015 Seed Grant Winners
  • Special Topics
    • SearchReSearch
    • Curated Topics
FIA

SearchReSearch

SearchResearch Challenge (10/7/20): How are the kelp forests doing?

Dan Russell • October 7, 2020
 SearchReSearch
Republished with permission from SearchReSearch
SearchResearch Challenge (10/7/20): How are the kelp forests doing? Dan Russell

One of the glories of plant life on planet Earth are the great kelp forests along the coasts...

Photo by Dan, taken in a kelp forest near Santa Rosa island.


Near me, along the coast of California, is an 800 mile long coast that has historically been an almost continuous kelp forest. Kelp has historically run from Baja Mexico up to Alaska. (This kelp is all members of the Laminariales family; I don't mean "seaweed" in general, as the term kelp is sometimes used.)

The coast of California used to look much like this. The dark areas in the water are stands of kelp.
Was this forest near Gualala, CA larger in the past? How would you know?


I grew up snorkeling and diving the Los Angeles area coastline, and as I recall, the kelp forest was luxurious, dense, and grew fairly close to shore.

It can be intimidating to swim through, but if you've been in heavy kelp enough, you quickly learn to control your panic when it seems to wrap tightly around your ankles. It's pretty slippery stuff, so as long as you don't make any quick movements, but if you slowly and carefully untangle yourself, it's not bad.


Well, there was that one dive off Santa Rosa island where my feet got pretty tangled up with only 500 psi left in my tank... at 45 feet deep. That's a moment that'll decalcify your spinal column. But a bit of slow breathing and carefully reaching down and unwrapping my ankles got me free. Move slowly and carefully, don't panic. It was maybe only twenty seconds, but felt like twenty minutes.

As I travel up and down California these days, I can't help but notice the kelp beds that line the coast. I've read a few articles about the changes in kelp that have been happening over the past 30 years, but I wonder--what's really going on? Is it truly getting better? Or are things getting worse?


That curious question leads to today's Challenge:

1. How are the California kelp forests going these days? Are they healthy?

2. Can you find some data about the state of the kelp forests? How can one measure the forest and create a data set to analyze kelp forest health over a span of decades? Can you find such a multiyear data set?


What say you? Can you find this information?

As always, be sure to let us know HOW you found it. Did you use a special resource? Did you use a particular set of search terms? Enquiring minds want to know!


Search on!



Share

Comments

This post was republished. Comments can be viewed and shared via the original site.
20 comments

About the Author

Dan RussellDan Russell

I study the way people search and research. I guess that makes me an anthropologist of search. While I work at Google, my blog and G+ posts reflects my own thoughts and not those of my employer. I am FIA's Future-ist in Residence. More »

Recent News

  • Deepfakes and the Future of Facts
    Deepfakes and the Future of FactsSeptember 27, 2019
  • Book cover for Joy of Search by Daniel M. Russell
    The Joy of Search: A Google Insider’s Guide to Going Beyond the BasicsSeptember 26, 2019
  • The Future of Facts in a ‘Post-Truth’ World
    The Future of Facts in a ‘Post-Truth’ WorldMay 15, 2018
  • The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Storytelling
    The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive StorytellingJune 6, 2017

More »

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events scheduled. Please check back later.
Event Archive »
Video Archive »

Join Email List

SearchReSearch

  • Answer:  What’s a large US city with very low population density?
    Answer: What’s a large US city with very low population density?August 3, 2022
  • SearchResearch Bonus Challenge (July 20, 2022): What’s a large US city with very low population density?
    SearchResearch Bonus Challenge (July 20, 2022): What’s a large US city with very low population density?July 20, 2022
  • SearchResearch Challenge (7/13/22):  What is this rusty thing I found in the woods?
    SearchResearch Challenge (7/13/22): What is this rusty thing I found in the woods?July 13, 2022
  • Answer: Why is there an elephant statue in this Wisconsin park?
    Answer: Why is there an elephant statue in this Wisconsin park?July 6, 2022

More »

University of Maryland logo
Robert W. Deutsch Foundation logo
Google logo
Barrie School
Library of Congress logo
State of Maryland logo
National Archives logo
National Geographic Society logo
National Park Service logo
Newseum logo
Sesame Workshop logo
Smithsonian logo
WAMU
© 2022 The Future of Information Alliance, University of Maryland | Privacy Policy | Web Accessibility