Page 153 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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PACIFIC OCEAN EAST
Monterey Bay
Kelp Forest

COASTAL TYPE
Rocky and sandy
WATER TYPE
Cool to warm
PRIMARY VEGETATION
Kelp
LOCATION South of San Francisco, California, US

The California coast is famous for its
beds of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera),
the largest seaweed on the planet
(see p.238). It forms dense forests just
offshore, and in Monterey Bay it
outcompetes bull kelp for sunlight in
many places, but the latter dominates
in more exposed areas. Inshore of
these giant species, other smaller kelps
thrive. The kelp forests provide a
unique habitat. Sea otters (see p.402),
which live among the kelp forests
and eat sea urchins, are thought to be
important in controlling the urchins,
which graze on the kelp. Seagrasses of
the genus Phyllospadix are also found in
Monterey Bay. Unusually for seagrasses,
they can attach to rock, and grow in
the surf zone or in intertidal pools on
rocky coasts. Each year over 140,000
tons of giant kelp are harvested
in California for the extraction of
alginates, which are used in the textile,
food, and medical industries.

SUNLIT FOREST OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS
In exceptional circumstances, giant kelp
can be 265 ft (80 m) long. The forests are
at their thickest in late summer, and
decline during the dark winter months.