Researchers examine kelp farming's benefits to the global ecosystem
Frozen Seaweed
Published Apr 17, 2021
Tridge summary
Researchers examine kelp farming’s benefits to the ecosystem. As aquaculture expands off coasts around the globe, Carrie Byron, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Marine and Environmental Programmes at the University of New England in Maine, is part of a team working to better understand the restorative nature of aquaculture.
Original content
Byron and the University of New England are teaming up with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the University of Auckland, New Zealand to jointly study the ecological effects of farmed kelp in New Zealand and Maine. “Other researchers have been quantifying ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and nutrient bioremediation,” stated Byron. “Global warming is attributed to an abundance of carbon in the atmosphere. Similarly, many of our coastal waters, worldwide, are impaired by too much nitrogen in the water. Kelp utilizes these sources of carbon and nitrogen for growth.” Byron says there is some literature about the carbon sequestration and nutrient bioremediation benefits that seaweed provides to the environment. She says this new research project is taking a slightly different tact by looking at biodiversity and habitat provisions that seaweed farming can provide. In addition to assessing seaweed alone, research will also be conducted to analyse the ecological effects of ...
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