KELP IT ALIVE!
Mar 2025 - May 2025
Hand drawing, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign
LA 387 Designing With Climate
Individual Work
Mar 2025 - May 2025
Hand drawing, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign
LA 387 Designing With Climate
Individual Work
MONTEREY PENINSULA KELP FOREST, CALIFORNIA
Kelp it Alive! focuses on the ongoing marine heatwave problem caused by greenhouse gas emissions in Monterey, California’s kelp forest. These heatwaves have led to a decline on the kelp, destroying habitat for wildlife. Kelp it Alive! proposes a design intervention to help the kelp adapt to warmer waters.
LOCATION: MONTEREY PENINSULA, CA
KELP LOSS OVER TIME
MARINE HEATWAVES
SUNFLOWER SEA STAR DISEASE
PURPLE SEA URCHIN OVERGRAZE
GREEN PEBBLES
GROW LINES
ARTIFICIAL CORAL REEFS
The focus of this project is on the coast of the Monterey Peninsula, which lies in the northern part of California’s central coast. The kelp forest expands about 30 miles out from the coast, the canopy covers about 25 square miles, and the kelp grows to a depth over 30 meters. The total forest covers about 60,000 miles of the ocean.
2000
2015
2024
One of the most prominent marine heatwaves was called “The Blob” from 2013-2016. Since then, the
waters have increased about 7 degrees
F. These heatwaves are caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and the kelp isn’t adapted to these increased temperatures.
Not only did the heat affect kelp growth, it also caused a disease outbreak among the sunflower sea stars. These sea stars are the main predators for the purple sea urchin. The decline of the sea stars led to an overabundance of purple sea urchins.
The purple sea urchins then overgrazed the kelp, which caused further decline of the kelp forest. They also created urchin barrens, and most of those urchins are malnourished. The southern sea otter is another predator that eats these
sea urchins, but they won’t eat the malnourished ones since it proves they have no energy.
DESIGN INTERVENTION
Green pebbles are gravel with spores and gametophytes attached to them. Spores and gametophytes are plant sex cells, and they can be manipulated in a lab. Before attaching the gametophytes onto the gravel, it would
be strategic for research institutes and labs to test out the stronger, heat resilient gametophytes in the bull and giant kelp. Kelp gametophytes have a large heat tolerance range, and the extracted stronger strains would be highly adaptive to the increasing water temperatures. Once established in an optimal lab setting, the green pebbles can then be deployed into the ocean or onto grow lines.
Grow lines allow for efficient vertical nutrient transport in the kelp. They are composed of fuzzy ropes and spaced 10-15 ft apart, and can be extended from the ocean floor to the surface. Since the project site is about 25 miles, if we use 15 ft apart for each grow line, that will result in about 8800 lines across the site. The lab tested green pebbles can be attached to the grow lines for ideal
growth. The spacing of the lines prevent the kelp from over competition.
Artificial coral reefs support the base growth of the kelp; they provide a sturdy base and nutrients. The artificial coral reefs also stimulate other plant growth and attract marine wildlife, which helps restore the habitat. They can also help sequester carbon dioxide, which will decrease the water temperatures.
KELP IT ALIVE!
MONTEREY PENINSULA KELP FOREST, CALIFORNIA
Kelp it Alive! focuses on the ongoing marine heatwave problem caused by greenhouse gas emissions in Monterey, California’s kelp forest. These heatwaves have led to a decline on the kelp, destroying habitat for wildlife. Kelp it Alive! proposes a design intervention to help the kelp adapt to warmer waters.
LOCATION: MONTEREY PENINSULA, CA
KELP LOSS OVER TIME
2000
2015
2024
The focus of this project is on the coast of the Monterey Peninsula, which lies in the northern part of California’s central coast. The kelp forest expands about 30 miles out from the coast, the canopy covers about 25 square miles, and the kelp grows to a depth over 30 meters. The total forest covers about 60,000 miles of the ocean.
MARINE HEATWAVES
One of the most prominent marine heatwaves was called “The Blob” from 2013-2016. Since then, the
waters have increased about 7 degrees
F. These heatwaves are caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and the kelp isn’t adapted to these increased temperatures.
SUNFLOWER SEA STAR DISEASE
Not only did the heat affect kelp growth, it also caused a disease outbreak among the sunflower sea stars. These sea stars are the main predators for the purple sea urchin. The decline of the sea stars led to an overabundance of purple sea urchins.
PURPLE SEA URCHIN OVERGRAZE
DESIGN INTERVENTION
The purple sea urchins then overgrazed the kelp, which caused further decline of the kelp forest. They also created urchin barrens, and most of those urchins are malnourished. The southern sea otter is another predator that eats these
sea urchins, but they won’t eat the malnourished ones since it proves they have no energy.
Green pebbles are gravel with spores and gametophytes attached to them. Spores and gametophytes are plant sex cells, and they can be manipulated in a lab. Before attaching the gametophytes onto the gravel, it would
be strategic for research institutes and labs to test out the stronger, heat resilient gametophytes in the bull and giant kelp. Kelp gametophytes have a large heat tolerance range, and the extracted stronger strains would be highly adaptive to the increasing water temperatures. Once established in an optimal lab setting, the green pebbles can then be deployed into the ocean or onto grow lines.
Grow lines allow for efficient vertical nutrient transport in the kelp. They are composed of fuzzy ropes and spaced 10-15 ft apart, and can be extended from the ocean floor to the surface. Since the project site is about 25 miles, if we use 15 ft apart for each grow line, that will result in about 8800 lines across the site. The lab tested green pebbles can be attached to the grow lines for ideal
growth. The spacing of the lines prevent the kelp from over competition.
Artificial coral reefs support the base growth of the kelp; they provide a sturdy base and nutrients. The artificial coral reefs also stimulate other plant growth and attract marine wildlife, which helps restore the habitat. They can also help sequester carbon dioxide, which will decrease the water temperatures.
Mar 2025 - May 2025
Hand drawing, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign
LA 387 Designing With Climate
Individual Work