🌿 Kelp grows at unprecedented speed

Results of a global diving study organized by the University of Western Australia showed that the seaweed kelp outgrows the Amazon rainforest as well as corn, wheat and rice.

However, in the ocean the most productive ecosystems are found in the temperate zones where cool, nutrient-rich waters create lush forests of golden, bull and bamboo kelp which can grow to be 100 feet tall (35 meters).

Two of the biggest kelp forests are The Great African Sea Forest and The Great Southern Reef in Australia. The Great African Sea Forest is believed to be expanding in size which is very unlike other big undersea habitats. The forest is made up of bamboo kelp and is home to huge amounts of biodiversity. It stretches for over 400 miles between Cape Town and Namibia. The Great Southern Reef consists of golden kelp and stretches from 5000 miles across the continent's coast. Bull kelp can grow at a rate of 14 centimeters a day.

“On land, we can use satellites to measure tree growth, but underwater things are much more complicated as most satellites cannot make measurements at the depths kelp forests are found,” Dr. Albert Pessarrodona from the university’s Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Good News Network explains that divers around the world compiled productivity reports on kelp forests which were then compared and analyzed for sun penetration, nutrient levels and wave exposure. The findings show that kelp forest can grow 11-times faster than wheat, corn or rice.

According to the findings, this natural mass production aids in the world’s food security.

Picture: National Marine Sanctuaries via Good News Network