TIMES RECORD • October 10, 2024
Kelp forests provide key habitat for ocean life and help clean water to create a thriving marine ecosystem. But these underwater forests are in flux due to changes in modern fisheries and, a new study published in the journal “Ecology” revealed, rapid ocean warming. Douglas Rasher, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, steered his team in documenting the first comprehensive census of Maine’s kelp forests in nearly two decades. Their work highlights the significant impact of climate change on ecological relationships in Gulf of Maine waters, showing the widespread collapse of kelp forests along the southern coast compared to their resilience in cooler, northern reaches.