Modeling the Growth Potential of the Kelp Saccharina Latissima in the North Atlantic
It has recently been proposed that macroalgae (e.g., kelp) could be grown in the open ocean as a CO2 removal strategy. Most macroalgae naturally grow in shallow coastal waters, and their ability to grow in open ocean conditions is largely untested. Here we quantify macroalgae growth potential in the...
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ftdatacite:10.17863/cam.81408 2023-05-15T17:30:33+02:00 Modeling the Growth Potential of the Kelp Saccharina Latissima in the North Atlantic Strong-Wright, Jago Taylor, John R. 2022 https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.81408 https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/333990 unknown Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository Marine Science seaweed macroalgae kelp modeling carbon Collection CreativeWork article Other 2022 ftdatacite https://doi.org/10.17863/cam.81408 2022-03-10T12:06:40Z It has recently been proposed that macroalgae (e.g., kelp) could be grown in the open ocean as a CO2 removal strategy. Most macroalgae naturally grow in shallow coastal waters, and their ability to grow in open ocean conditions is largely untested. Here we quantify macroalgae growth potential in the North Atlantic using an established model of Saccharina latissima forced by an ocean state estimate. In the relatively clear open ocean waters, we find that growth is possible to depths of up to 50 m across most of the region, with the maximum depth-integrated growth potential between 40 and 50°N. The model exhibits a large carbon to nitrogen ratio at the southern end of the growth range. The ratio of kelp carbon to phytoplankton biomass is also relatively high in the southeastern portion of the growth range. Using a sensitivity analysis, we find that the position of the southern limit of the growth range is largely modulated by temperature tolerance on the western side of the basin in the Gulf Stream and low nitrate on the eastern side of the basin. We also find a statistically significant reduction in the kelp growth potential over the period from 2002 to 2019, reflecting the warming of the surface ocean over this period. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) |
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DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) |
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topic |
Marine Science seaweed macroalgae kelp modeling carbon |
spellingShingle |
Marine Science seaweed macroalgae kelp modeling carbon Strong-Wright, Jago Taylor, John R. Modeling the Growth Potential of the Kelp Saccharina Latissima in the North Atlantic |
topic_facet |
Marine Science seaweed macroalgae kelp modeling carbon |
description |
It has recently been proposed that macroalgae (e.g., kelp) could be grown in the open ocean as a CO2 removal strategy. Most macroalgae naturally grow in shallow coastal waters, and their ability to grow in open ocean conditions is largely untested. Here we quantify macroalgae growth potential in the North Atlantic using an established model of Saccharina latissima forced by an ocean state estimate. In the relatively clear open ocean waters, we find that growth is possible to depths of up to 50 m across most of the region, with the maximum depth-integrated growth potential between 40 and 50°N. The model exhibits a large carbon to nitrogen ratio at the southern end of the growth range. The ratio of kelp carbon to phytoplankton biomass is also relatively high in the southeastern portion of the growth range. Using a sensitivity analysis, we find that the position of the southern limit of the growth range is largely modulated by temperature tolerance on the western side of the basin in the Gulf Stream and low nitrate on the eastern side of the basin. We also find a statistically significant reduction in the kelp growth potential over the period from 2002 to 2019, reflecting the warming of the surface ocean over this period. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Strong-Wright, Jago Taylor, John R. |
author_facet |
Strong-Wright, Jago Taylor, John R. |
author_sort |
Strong-Wright, Jago |
title |
Modeling the Growth Potential of the Kelp Saccharina Latissima in the North Atlantic |
title_short |
Modeling the Growth Potential of the Kelp Saccharina Latissima in the North Atlantic |
title_full |
Modeling the Growth Potential of the Kelp Saccharina Latissima in the North Atlantic |
title_fullStr |
Modeling the Growth Potential of the Kelp Saccharina Latissima in the North Atlantic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Modeling the Growth Potential of the Kelp Saccharina Latissima in the North Atlantic |
title_sort |
modeling the growth potential of the kelp saccharina latissima in the north atlantic |
publisher |
Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.81408 https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/333990 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17863/cam.81408 |
_version_ |
1766127396259364864 |