Humans are changing ocean environments and the species of seaweed that grow there. Oceans are warming and acidifying. One alarming result is that Pacific kelp forests are dying back.
Seaweed habitats are being damaged or created by human intervention. Dredge fishing can strip away seaweed along with other ocean life. The construction of concrete wharves and breakwaters remove sand and rock suitable for seaweed growth. Conversely, fertilizer runoff can enable the growth of nuisance seaweeds along the coast. The oceans' gyres once kept different kinds of seaweed separate but now human activity is causing changes to ocean currents which then intermix different species. The Panama Canal and the Suez Canal have both provided channels for new varieties. Ships' ballast water has been the conduit for seaweed spores to move around the world on its shipping lanes. John H. Bothwell's Seaweeds of the World was published by Princeton University Press in 2023.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am a Northwest artist making collages from mulberry papers stamped by hand from original images that I have carved. Archives
April 2024
|