[ECO]Seaweed Solutions: Using Marine Flora To Measure Climate Change

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Seaweed solutions: Using marine flora to measure climate change

Seaweed is one of the most beneficial and important marine flora to human beings. Lush seaweed forests like kelp canopies, provide a natural barrier from coastal erosion, granting shelter to shorelines endangered by wave energy and currents. Not only can seaweed protect humans physically and materially from destructive environmental phenomena, but seaweed also supports humans physiologically as it provides food and medicine that have palliative and alleviating benefits.

Research is taking place to study the therapeutic properties of seaweeds to treat and prevent *******. Consuming seaweed also provides many health benefits due to its rich nutrients and vitamins that detoxify the body. Experiments are also researching to replace plastic with seaweed, a more sustainable and biodegradable packaging option. 

The famous Roman poet Virgil stated that nothing is more worthless than seaweed. If this was said today, he would have been wrong. 

The threat of the climate crisis is affecting the entire marine ecosystem due to increased water temperature, sea level rise, the surge of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and additional anthropogenic toxins and pollution in the general environment. 

These threats gravely impact seaweed, so much so that the harm produced by climate change on the marine environment can be detected by looking closely at how seaweeds’ distribution and abundance have changed over time. Temporal analysis surveys create valuable data sets for examining long-term trends. The distribution of seaweed is subject to change over time due to increased pressures and influences on the environment. As an indicator species, seaweeds can biologically and ecologically monitor the condition of the water as it changes over time. 

Evaluating seaweed environments over time is a helpful and common practice, allowing us to better understand the health, condition, and changes of an underwater habitat and water condition. Over years of research and through many temporal analysis studies, the influence of climate change on these underwater communities has been observed and demonstrates that seaweed responds to such pressures. These studies can predict the decline of seaweed presence due to worsening environmental conditions. This article will explore how long-term studies of seaweed, an abundant and accessible resource, can be utilized to assess the impacts of climate change on the marine environment.

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Close up of kelp. Image: Lauren Piot

The warming water temperatures resulting from climate change will alter the distribution and abundance of seaweed populations. Temperature alterations make it difficult for algae to grow, fertilize, and reproduce. A rise in water temperature will alter the seasonal and geographic abundance of the organism, unbalancing its distribution. Research has predicted that water temperature increase will change seaweed’s distribution with cold water seaweeds moving north and warmer water seaweed’s presence will generally increase. 

Sea level rise is another factor apparent when investigating the changes in seaweed distribution. With the increase in water depth, seaweed’s access to sunlight will deplete as the ************ of the light is reduced, limiting the ability of these photosynthesizing organisms to absorb the sun’s energy, ultimately decreasing their productivity. Studying the distribution and abundance of seaweed can indicate if water levels have augmented over time in an area if there is a decrease in the presence of seaweed. Prior data must be compared with more recent data to hypothesize this change. 

The most infamous consequence of climate change is the augmentation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel releases, which consequently acidifies the ocean. The rise in CO2 levels significantly impacts vegetation, including aquatic flora. Coralline algae are vulnerable to ocean acidification as their calcite skeleton weakens with rapid changes in pH levels due to increased CO2 that cycles through the ocean. 

Increased CO2 in the water accelerates certain species of algae’s photosynthesis process, leading to a eutrophication phenomenon, which is the enrichment of nutrients in the water. This consequently accelerates algal presence and devastatingly impacts the local ecosystem. This creates a thick layer of excess seaweed that covers the top of the body of water, known as harmful algal blooms. 

Stuck in the water, seaweeds cannot exactly escape human-made pollutants. Seaweeds absorb nutrients from the water to survive and can also intake

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. Studies sampling seaweeds have identified traces of toxic metal pollutants in the organism. Such pollution affects the fertilization process of the seaweed and impacts the survival rates of the juvenile seaweed, ultimately reducing growth and reproduction success. 

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Diver surveying kelp. Image: Lauren Piot

Overall, trends demonstrating changes in the marine ecosystem and ocean water conditions can be observed by conducting temporal analyses of seaweed populations. The growth and distribution of algae are influenced by the consequences of climate change, especially temperature increases and ocean acidification. Therefore, seaweeds are important indicators for warning of climate change impacts on the marine ecosystem. 

It is essential to consistently monitor these effects to address the devastating effects of the climate crisis on the marine ecosystem. Understanding that seaweeds are changing due to climate change can heighten awareness of the deteriorating marine environment. Results from studies and proof that climate change is impacting the marine ecosystem can lead to advantageous policies better protecting the environment.

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