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Sci Rep
2019 Oct 21;91:15050. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51114-y.
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Marine heat wave and multiple stressors tip bull kelp forest to sea urchin barrens.
Rogers-Bennett L, Catton CA.
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Extreme climatic events have recently impacted marine ecosystems around the world, including foundation species such as corals and kelps. Here, we describe the rapid climate-driven catastrophic shift in 2014 from a previously robust kelp forest to unproductive large scale urchin barrens in northern California. Bull kelp canopy was reduced by >90% along more than 350 km of coastline. Twenty years of kelp ecosystem surveys reveal the timing and magnitude of events, including mass mortalities of sea stars (2013-), intense ocean warming (2014-2017), and sea urchin barrens (2015-). Multiple stressors led to the unprecedented and long-lasting decline of the kelp forest. Kelp deforestation triggered mass (80%) abalone mortality (2017) resulting in the closure in 2018 of the recreational abalone fishery worth an estimated $44 M and the collapse of the north coast commercial red sea urchin fishery (2015-) worth $3 M. Key questions remain such as the relative roles of ocean warming and sea star disease in the massive purple sea urchin population increase. Science and policy will need to partner to better understand drivers, build climate-resilient fisheries and kelp forest recovery strategies in order to restore essential kelp forest ecosystem services.
Figure 1. Map of study region in northern California. Extent of aerial survey of kelp canopy represented by the thick black coastline (inset map). Subtidal survey sites in Sonoma and Mendocino counties (main map). Maps were made using ArcGIS Version 10.6 software by Esri (http://desktop.arcgis.com).
Figure 2. Ecosystem shifts observed for kelp forest canopy (top), subcanopy (middle), and benthose (bottom), pre-impact (a–c) and post-impact (d–f). Photo credit: CDFW (K. Joe (a,c,e); L. Rogers-Bennett (b); C. Catton (d,f)).
Figure 3. Surface kelp canopy area pre- and post-impact from sites in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, northern California from aerial surveys (2008, 2014–2016). Maps were made using ArcGIS Version 10.6 software by Esri (http://desktop.arcgis.com).
Figure 4. Time series of ecosystem stressors and species abundances (2003–2018). (a) Benthic (10 m depth) temperature in Mendocino County; (b–d):Average population densities observed across four equal depth strata (0–20 m depth) of Sunflower Stars (b), Purple Urchin (c), and Red Abalone (d). Error bars are s.e.m. across the four depth strata. Image credit: UCSC Ocean Sciences (a); CDFW (A. Maguire (b), K. Sowul (c), K. Joe (d)).
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