Modeling effort examining role of kelp farms in potentially mitigating coastal acidification

SCCWRP and its partners have begun working to integrate a pair of Southern California Bight computer models as part of an ongoing study examining how future offshore kelp farms could potentially offset the impacts of coastal ocean acidification.

Model integration, which began earlier this year, involves coupling a model that predicts how coastal waters will be impacted by intensifying ocean acidification with a model that predicts, among other things, how kelp farms could potentially lower nutrient and carbon dioxide levels in coastal waters.

Researchers hope to use the coupled model to help managers identify optimal, potential future locations for offshore kelp farms, which use up – and thus remove – nutrients and carbon dioxide from the water column as part of their natural photosynthetic processes.

Excess nutrients and elevated carbon dioxide levels can exacerbate coastal acidification, underscoring the need to identify potential management solutions for mitigating these changes to seawater chemistry.