The underwater Amazon off Australia's coast

August 23, 2023 5:25 PM

The underwater Amazon off Australia's coast that could help tackle climate change. New research shows the climate benefits of protecting and restoring underwater kelp forests could be equivalent to planting a billion trees.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (5 comments total)

Kelp, previously. Unfortunately it's disappearing as a result of ocean warming. I notice it when I visit Tasmanian beaches nowadays—there's a lot less of it washing up on them than when I was growing up there.
posted by rory at 11:47 PM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

Here's a project in Portugal to grow kelp in labs and release to make wild kelp forests. It's a moderate success (with a low budget), so that seems pretty good.
posted by ambrosen at 2:34 AM on August 24, 2023 [4 favorites]

I see the word "Amazon" in a headline now and my first thought is the online retailer. I had to read all the way to "...billion trees" before any other interpretation even occurred to me.
posted by Paul Slade at 8:18 AM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]

A related story about how the Shinnecock Indian Nation has created a kelp farming collective with the Sisters of St Joseph that is helping restore the ecology of Shinnecock Bay.
posted by ewok_academy at 10:08 AM on August 24, 2023 [4 favorites]

For those areas fortunate enough to have them still, support your local sea otters!
posted by Nerd of the North at 7:41 PM on August 24, 2023 [2 favorites]