| Summary: | The response of kelps to future ocean acidification conditions in the Salish Sea will influence biological productivity, ecological complexity, and biogeochemical cycling in this system. Despite their importance, the response of kelps to ocean acidification has not been tested in the Salish Sea. Kelps from other regions have been shown to exhibit positive, neutral, and negative responses to ocean acidification. At the level of the individual these responses tend to be dominated by changes in carbon acquisition and metabolism under conditions of seawater carbon enrichment. At the community level, changes in algal growth rates, competition for space, and grazing pressure are likely to lead to an unknown degree of community reorganization. Interactions with other stressors—for example, temperature—will modify the response of kelps to acidification alone. I review the physiology of carbon acquisition in kelps, pose scenarios for kelp community response to ocean acidification, and suggest approaches to management of kelp resources in the Salish Sea.
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