National Marine Sanctuaries
Australia’s Ocean Kelp Forest is Growing at Light Speed–Rivaling the Mighty Amazon for Absorbing CO2
Great forests of ocean kelp were found in a recent study to be between 4 and 11-times more productive than the most productive crops grown today like wheat, corn, and rice.
On land, the fastest growth rates occur in the tropics, but in the ocean, the most productive ecosystems are found in the temperate zones, where cool, nutrient-rich waters create forests of golden, bull, and bamboo kelp that can grow 100 feet tall (35 meters).
This was the result of a global diving survey organized by the University of Western Australia, during which they found the most productive sea forests outgrow even the mighty Amazon Rainforest.
These most productive forests came from South Australia and South Africa, where can be found the Great Southern Reef and the Great African Sea Forest, respectively.
The Great African Sea Forest is believed to be expanding in size, unlike many other mega undersea habitats. Made up of bamboo kelp and containing huge amounts of biodiversity, it stretches over 400 miles from Cape Town’s waters to Namibia’s, nourished by an Antarctic current known as the “Benguela upwelling.”
The Great Southern Reef in Australia is fringed by a golden kelp forest stretching 5,000 miles across the continent’s coast. Next to the golden kelp, bull kelp can grow at a rate of 14 centimeters per day.
“On land, we can use satellites to measure tree growth, but underwater things are much more complicated as most satellites cannot make measurements at the depths kelp forests are found,” Dr. Albert Pessarrodona from the university’s Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
To get around this fact, divers around the world compiled productivity reports on kelp forests, which were then compared and analyzed for nutrient levels, sun penetration, and wave exposure.
The findings were that tropical forests were not the most productive and that those from the temperate zones contain kelps that can grow 11-times faster than wheat, corn, or rice.
This mass natural production aids in the world’s food security, the authors found, and nowhere is this more demonstrated than in Indonesia. The aquaculture of their seaweed forests creates products as varied as bioplastics alongside ice cream.
As well as assisting in human flourishing, these forests play a critical role in the global carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Much like their productivity is much higher than their terrestrial counterparts, the rate at which they absorb CO2 has been measured to be 30x faster than trees on the land.
Scientists from the non-profit Great Southern Reef estimate that if just 0.001% of the ocean’s surface was cultivated with these productive forests, it would offset the emissions of the entire global aquaculture industry.
The good news here is hope for the continued renewal of the Earth. Today’s JohnKu talks about carbon emissions. I hope you have a great weekend.
Air by John W. Howell © 2022
Air contains a lot:
Carbon, oxygen, and dirt . . .
Our goal: clean it up.
Fiction Favorites 
The more we know, the more we grow. It’s nice to see these proactive approaches going on around the world. Great story Boss.
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Thanks, Pilgrim. Never got to a JohnKu though.
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No need some days.:)
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I went back and posted it.
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Gotcha Boss 😉
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😁
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Keep the good news coming, John. Always a lovely antidote to the week’s worth of misery that the media seems to bring…. 🙄
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I hear you, Lori. The media loves misery instead of truth. 😁
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You know what they say, John, “If it bleeds, it leads.”
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Yup. 😂
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That’s good since the Amazon is in danger.
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Yes it is. Thanks, Charles.
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Oh how interesting is this bit of news. Kelp forests is something most of us don’t think about because we don’t see them on a regular basis. Good find!
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I think someone somewhere is going to figure out how to make a business out of kelp and then we’ll hear a lot more. Thanks, Frank.
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Wonderful! This is an exciting and hopeful development. Thank you for sharing, John. 😊
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Thank you, Gwen. I thought it was significant too.
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Great news, John! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, Jill
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Wonderful news
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Thank you, Linda. It really is.
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Great discoveries. I still want to protect the Amazon, though.
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Let’s hope it is not too late.
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I saw the Australian kelp forest on a nature show and was amazed to hear these facts. It gives humans hope for the future.
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Of course we all have to listen up. Thanks, GP.
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Wow. That last paragraph is an incredible statistic. Thanks for sharing, John. Happy weekend.
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Thank you, Staci. Have a great weekend too.
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The earth is amazing, John. I wish we would do more to help.
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Sadly the zero emissions actions by the White House are gong to make matters worse. Just look at California’s troubles with power outages.
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California is in a world of hurt. I think the goal is a good one, but I question the timing and the manner of going about it.
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There is a liberal blogger who continually espouses the emission mantra now complaining about losing power several times a week. Yes he lives in California where many of the cars are electric and are unsupported by the infrastructure. Made my day
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Ditto what Dan said! Great story, John, and on-point JohnKu. Have a wonderful weekend 💕🙂
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Thank you, Harmony. I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well.
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Interesting, John. I agree with Dan. Wish I could do more to help.
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I think we all do.
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GREAT news. Kelp forests are also important to sea otters.
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Yes they are. I’ll bet you’ve seen photos of them sleeping with a kelp leaf covering them.
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I have – off of Monterey , California!
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Yup. That’s where I did too.
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Another wonderful reason to preserve the health of our oceans, John. Great news. I like seaweed in food, but not sure about kelp ice cream!
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Maybe we all should try it. 😁
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🙂
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😊
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Another great bit of news. The ocean offers us so much.
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It does and I know how much you are connected with it.
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Very interesting, John. Loved the Johnku.
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Thank you, Michele. 😊
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These Friday posts always brighten my day, John – thanks!
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I’m glad, Teri.
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Good news indeed. In fact there are so many wonderful things happening right now on Earth that it’s time to watch the TV news less. Thank you, dear John🙂
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I think watching the TV less will make even more wonderful things happen on Earth. Thanks, Maria. 😊
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🌎🌏 Let’s hope these days will come…soon,dear John.
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Yes let’s hope, Dear Maria.
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“hope for the continued renewal of the Earth.” I love that! Great JohnKu, too!
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Thank you, Jan. 😁
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Yes! There is hope for our oceans and earth. TGIF to you!
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Thank yu Jo. I hoe so. TGIF to you as well.
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Bad news is: somebody will try and make money off it and somebody else will find a way to screw it up. But I am hopeful.
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Then someone will eat it all.
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Actually it can be quite tasty.
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Ha ha ha
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Wow! That’s amazing to me that kelp absorbs co2 from the atmosphere. Thanks for sharing this, John. I learned something. 🙂
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Always good to learn.
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It sure is! 🙂
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😊
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I enjoy your “GoodNews” posts, John!!! Thank you.
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Thank you, Rebecca.
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Anything that aids in world food security is good news, indeed!
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Yes it is.
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Safe at home! Nicely done, Boss.
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Didn’t have to slide either.
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Not when you bring the cool.
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Ha ha ha.
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The Earth’s ability to heal itself is extraordinary if we just give it a chance.
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I agree, Pete. The chance is the issue. When the world was locked down over COVID things improved for the planet.
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Exactly so. We all need a kelp forest. I’ll start one in our bath.
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Great idea. Invite a couple of otters over for lunch.
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Great story, John. Thank you for sharing it!
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It is. Thanks, Maria.
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Wonderful news, John. And we need all the good we can get. Wonderful JohnKu, too 🙂
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Thank you, Dale. 😁
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Happy Sunday, dear John!
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🤗
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A wonderful, informative article! I’m thrilled we (man) hasn’t killed off everything.
Your JohnKu made me chuckle. YES, we must clean it up!
Here’s a few 🧽🧽🧽 to help you do your share.
This is what I am doing: https://www.sheridancollege.ca/newsroom/articles/arts-design/sheridan-graduate-sews-to-save-environment – It’s an article on my Art Gowns from my Alma Mater Alumni magazine. They say I am sewing to save the environment! xoxo
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I love that article and the gowns are beyond beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me. XOXO
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XOXOXO
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🤗 Hey, those are my big XOs. Oh, okay you can give them out too.XOXOXO
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WHEW!!!!
XOXOXO 💋🐂
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🐂💋🍷
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🍷🍷Cheers! ..hic..okay 1 more before dinner 🍷clink🍷 Where the hell did the ox go?
🎼 Where have all the oxen gone
🎶 Gone to emoji, every one
🎶 When will we ever learn
🎼 Soon I hope, I yearn
hic! XOZxoxo -Hey how did that Z get in?
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I like your song. I was thinking of Zebra earlier. Maybe that’s how the Z got in there. 😁 XO🦓xoxoxo
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You thought a zebra in? You know if there is one, there is a herd! Of course I adore zebras. Okay you sneaky son of a gun, you win this one! 🙄 Sigh 🥰🥰🥰
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Refreshing to read about some good things going on on our planet John. Yay for kelp! 🙂
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It is refreshing. Yay for kelp for sure.
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🙂
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😊
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Keeping my fingers crossed for this and other innovative strategies. I think the planet needs all the help it can get.
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I do too, Monika.
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[…] Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – FriYay/Goodnews […]
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Thank you for sharing my post.
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Wonderful, John.
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😊
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