Rise of turfs

KELPEX published research today in BioScience on the global extent of the shifts from kelp forests to flat degraded reef seascapes carpeted by turf-algae.

The rise of turfs has now become global in its impact. These critical transitions can be very difficult to halt or reverse because climate change is pushing more and more kelp forests over a tipping point for collapse.

By exploring the export and fate of drift kelp in the ocean, KELPEX will extend our understanding of how these shifts will propagate to other marine communities that depend on kelp for food.

The manuscript is available on our publications page or https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix147.