Experts on HABs, kelp convened to support development of coastal ocean health report cards

SCCWRP has convened two groups of scientific experts to develop consensus on how to assess the state of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and kelp, respectively, in California and West Coast marine waters – part of an ongoing effort to develop multi-indicator report cards for tracking coastal ocean health.

The two groups of experts, which met separately at SCCWRP during multi-day workshops in September, have been tasked with developing scientific consensus on what data sets should be used to assess HABs and kelp, respectively, as well as what thresholds should be used as the basis for assessing condition, and what level of uncertainty is acceptable.

HABs and kelp are two of 18 indicators under development that will feed into ocean health report cards being built for both California and the U.S. West Coast. The pair of report cards are being developed in a coordinated fashion and will be released in 2025.

The report cards are being designed to provide managers and policymakers with comprehensive, executive-level annual snapshots reflecting the health of the coastal ocean.