KelpIT – Better knowledge about Swedish kelp forests
Short description
Kelp forests are lush underwater forests that cover large areas globally and play a crucial role in marine ecosystems. They serve as homes for many different marine species, help to sequester carbon and produce oxygen, and provide important ecosystem services. Kelp forests are found in Swedish waters, yet knowledge of their distribution and health is very limited.
KelpIT aims to use robots equipped with multispectral cameras and advanced sonar and sensor technology to map kelp forests and their habitats in a way that hasn’t been possible before. The project will also study kelp-associated biodiversity, and experimentally evaluate the consequences of shifts in kelp species composition.
Project overview
Large underwater forests of brown algae, so called kelp forests, stretch along a third of the world’s coastlines. They cover approximately 2 million km², making them one of the largest coastal marine ecosystems. These forests play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity and providing essential ecosystem services. Despite their importance, knowledge about the distribution and status of kelp forests in Swedish waters is highly limited, and they are threatened by climate change and human activities.
Project aims
The project aims to address this knowledge gap by developing innovative methods to map and monitor kelp forests. The project will use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with advanced sonar technology to conduct large-scale, cost-effective surveys. Additionally, the project will quantify the biodiversity associated with kelp forests and investigate how changes in kelp species composition may impact their productivity.
The project will conduct experiments to understand how species loss affects ecosystem function and use these findings to model future scenarios of species loss and its consequences for kelp forests on a regional scale. By integrating ecological research with advanced technology, the project aims to provide critical information to authorities, researchers, and decision-makers, helping to better understand and protect these vital marine ecosystems.
Project outcomes
The outcomes will support Sweden’s efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and comply with EU’s new Nature Restoration Law.
Work packages and aims
Work package 1: Advance novel method for surveying kelp and marine habitats.
We will work with state-of-the-art technology and deep learning to advance a novel method that employs autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with sonar. With a new state-of-the-art method, we aim to go beyond currently available approaches, and facilitate surveying marine forests at scales not hitherto possible (e.g. diving).
We hope to deliver the foundation for a monitoring platform that can be used by people that do not have expertise in robotics. Data from such a platform can be used to produce maps of kelp and its habitat. Our project is developed in dialogue with key stakeholders, and reaching our aim will provide significant and crucial steps forward.
Work package 2: Quantify the biodiversity associated with kelp forests
Kelp provides habitat for many other organisms. In this WP we will estimate the biodiversity of animals and algae associated with Swedish kelp forests. There are currently no published articles or reports on this.
We will collect new data, but also use data from WP1, the Swedish national monitoring program for marine vegetation, and drop-video surveys. Biodiversity will be described at multiple levels, such as species richness, effective number of species, functional groups, and functional traits.
Work package 3: Determine the consequences for kelp species loss
Using contemporary ecological theory we will test the importance of kelp species diversity for ensuring ecosystem functioning in the light of environmental change.
We will do an experiment designed to test the assumptions of the biodiversity insurance hypothesis, as a way of evaluating the role of individual species and species richness.
Work package 4: Upscaling the distribution and cover of kelp forests for scenarios of species loss
The information gained in WP1, WP2 and WP3 will be used to predict and upscale the cover and distribution of kelp, and associated biodiversity, for a whole region (in the Tjärnö and Koster island archipelago), and for multiple scenarios of kelp species loss.
Upscaling the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship from small local plots (used in monitoring or experiments) to whole regions is a crucial next step in biodiversity and ecosystem science.
The research group
Coordinators
Lars Gamfeldt, University of Gothenburg
Ivan Stenius, KTH
Researchers
Gunilla Toth, University of Gothenburg
Per Bergström, University of Gothenburg
Related projects
Gunilla Toth coordinates a project on the Restoration of the kelp species Laminaria hyperborea
Social media
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@kelpit.bsky.social