Kelp Distribution and Biodiversity along the Pacific Coasts of North and South America Larry Deysher – Ocean Imaging Matt Edwards – San Diego State University Jon Dykstra – MDA Federal Inc Paul Dayton – Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Project Objectives Cost-effective method of mapping and visualizing kelp canopies on a global basis Link kelp distributions with physical factors such as temperature, nitrogen concentrations, wave climate, daylength & solar irradiance Discriminate localized anthropogenic changes in kelp bed distributions from climate related effects

Year 2000 ETM+ Coverage

Data Availability ftp://samoa.gsfc.nasa.gov/landsat/kelp/

Original ETM+ Imagery

Visualization in Google Earth

San Juan Station

San Juan Station - Aerial

Macrocystis integrifolia

Macrocystis pyrifera

ETM haColor IR Photo - 39 ha Macrocystis pyrifera Macrocystis integrifolia Eisenia arborea

Kodiak Macrocystis Population

Winter February

Summer/Fall September

Winter February

Kodiak Island SST Anomalies

Irradiance / Nutrient Relationship - Sitka (Stekoll, 1999)

Solar Irradiance June 1991 Kodiak – 182 W/m 2 Sitka – 255 W/m 2 GES DISC DAAC NASA/GISS

Northern Hemisphere Southern Boundary Baja California Peru / Chile & Argentina Namibia / South Africa Australia – Tasmanian population declines Subantarctic Islands – –Kerguelen Island – –Heard Island – –South Georgia Island

Baja Nitrogen Enrichment (Ladah, 2003)

Nitrate - Temperature

Macrocystis pyrifera Macrocystis integrifolia Eisenia cokeri = E. arborea ? = E. arborea ? Islas Desventuradas Islas Desventuradas

Eisenia galapagensis Type December 2004

Eisenia cokeri Sechura Bay – 5.5 o S

Summer 2002 March

Winter 2002 July

SST - South Georgia Island April 1998October 1998

Summer 2002 March

South Georgia SST Anomalies

Subantarctic Islands Kelp on islands north of Antarctic Convergence with the exception of South Georgia Island

SST Anomaly - Kerguelen & Heard April 1998October 1998 Heard Kerguelen

Heard Island SST Anomalies

Take Homes Google Earth is an ideal visualization tool for broad scale biodiversity data Northern range of Macrocystis in Alaska may be expanding Range of Eisenia galapagensis in Galapagos has contracted Northern range of Macrocystis in Peru has contracted Heard Island may be a useful habitat to look for climate change in the Southern Ocean