The seventh webinar of the Ngā Kōrero series put a spotlight on the significant role of seaweed in our marine ecosystem.
Thank you to our incredible speakers Dr. Caitlin Blain, Zoe Studd and Dr. Daniel Crossett. Our guest speakers shared their knowledge and insight that reveals how valuable and necessary our underwater forests are to support all life on Earth. We covered why preserving and restoring seaweed is so important and what is going on in Aotearoa to investigate and record the health of our seaweed communities.
Our underwater forests are vital for marine ecosystems and communities.
Seaweeds are habitat-forming species, providing shade and alleviating changes in water chemistry. We need healthy seaweed, as it supports our fisheries, absorbs the ocean’s energy before waves meet our coastal communities and mitigates climate change.
Despite the clear importance of seaweed, our underwater forests are disappearing across New Zealand. The drivers of this loss vary by region, but the most prominent stressors are sedimentation, heat waves, and herbivory. In this webinar, our speakers discussed the prevalence of these stressors and the initiatives which are underway to restore our underwater forests.
Our first speaker was Dr Caitlin Blain, post-doctoral fellow at the University of Auckland’s Leigh Marine Laboratory. Caitlin provided insight into how sedimentation in Auckland lowers light availability and alters carbon cycling in kelp. Lower light was associated with reduced carbon storage and altered carbon release. This change is worrying, as it suggests that poor water quality can inhibit seaweed’s ability to mitigate climate change.
The second presentation was by Zoe Studd, programme director of Mountains to Sea Wellington, who introduced us to Love Rimurimu. Love Rimurimu aims to engage the community in restoring seaweed in Wellington Harbour, where it has declined significantly. The project aims to do this by re-seeding suitable areas and training community scientists. Disconnection from the environment leads to degradation, but by involving students and communities in the restoration effort, Love Rimurimu aims to rebuild these connections in a meaningful way.
Our last presentation was by Dr Dan Crossett, researcher at the Cawthron Institute. Dan has been researching large brown algal survival following the Kaikōura earthquake and impacts of warming seas and coastal sedimentation on juvenile algae. Dan’s research involves growing juvenile algae in a lab, testing their response to stressors and then transplanting them back into the ocean. This research gives us the tools to restore seaweed more effectively.
Check out the recording below, and scroll down for relevant links.
The continuation of the Ngā Kōrero webinar series has been made possible thanks to generous support from the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO.
For more information, check out these links:
Love Rimurimu website: loverimurmu.org
Kelp Forest Alliance: kelpforestalliance.com
Relevant Article: A forgotten and neglected ecosystem covers a third of Earth’s coastlines, with a collective value of $500 billion
Research papers:
The value of ecosystem services in global marine kelp forests. Aaron M. Eger, Ezequiel M. Marzinelli, Rodrigo Beas-Luna, Caitlin O. Blain, Laura K. Blamey, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes, Paul E. Carnell, Chang Geun Choi, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Kwang Young Kim, Naoki H. Kumagai, Julio Lorda, Pippa Moore, Yohei Nakamura, Alejandro Pérez-Matus, Ondine Pontier, Dan Smale, Peter D. Steinberg & Adriana Vergés (2023) Nature Communications.
Reef recovery and resilience: interpreting abiotic effects on critical early life stages of large brown algae. Crossett, Dan; Dunmore, Robyn & Schiel, David. (2023). Marine Ecology Progress Series.