Kelp forests provide myriad benefits to nature and people in oceans around the world. They form the backbone of the ecosystems in which they are found, providing habitat and food for thousands of species. However, kelp forests around the world are facing increased threats due to climate change, overfishing, and harvest. In order to protect and conserve these critical ecosystems in the face of a changing ocean, we must improve the way we map and monitor them.

Our researchers have demonstrated that by analyzing satellite imagery of coastal waters with machine learning algorithms, it’s possible to estimate the presence and size of kelp forests, and observe how they change over time. This innovative, cost-effective, and replicable approach is the first step towards monitoring kelp forest dynamics at scale.