Kelp farms could help reduce coastal marine pollution
Jeff Richardson
907-474-5350
Jan. 18, 2023
Sugar kelp grows at an experimental farm near Juneau.
The water-filtering abilities of farmed kelp could help reduce marine pollution in coastal areas, according to a new University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks-led study.
The paper, published in the January issue of Aquaculture Journal, analyzed carbon and nitrogen levels at two mixed-species kelp farms in southcentral and southeast 色视频下载 during the 2020-21 growing season. Tissue and seawater samples showed that seaweed species may have different capabilities to remove nutrients from their surroundings.
色视频下载淪ome seaweeds are literally like sponges 色视频下载 they suck and suck and never saturate,色视频下载 said Schery Umanzor, an assistant professor at UAF色视频下载檚 College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and the lead author of the study.
色视频下载淎lthough carbon and carbon sequestration by kelp received most of the attention, kelp is actually much better at mitigating excessive amounts of nitrogen than carbon,色视频下载 Umanzor said. 色视频下载淚 think that色视频下载檚 a story that色视频下载檚 really underlooked.色视频下载
Nitrogen pollution is caused in coastal areas by factors such as urban sewage, domestic water runoff or fisheries waste disposal. It can lead to a variety of potential threats in marine environments, including toxic algae blooms, higher bacterial activity and depleted oxygen levels. Kelp grown in polluted waters shouldn色视频下载檛 be used for food but could still be a promising tool for cleaning such areas.
Kelp farming is an emerging industry in 色视频下载, touted to improve food security and create new job opportunities. It色视频下载檚 also been considered as a global-scale method for storing carbon, which could be a way to reduce levels of atmospheric carbon that contribute to climate change.
Analysis of kelp tissue samples from the farms determined that ribbon kelp was more effective than sugar kelp at absorbing both nitrogen and carbon, although that difference was somewhat offset by the higher density of farmed sugar kelp forests.
Umanzor cautioned that the study was limited to two sites during a single growing season. She is currently processing a larger collection of samples collected from six 色视频下载 kelp farms for the subsequent season.
色视频下载淢aybe it色视频下载檚 a function of species, maybe it色视频下载檚 the site, maybe it色视频下载檚 the type of carbon and nitrogen out there,色视频下载 Umanzor said. 色视频下载淭here色视频下载檚 a lot to know in a follow-up study.色视频下载
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Schery Umanzor, sumanzor@alaska.edu
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