Kelp Forests

The Santa Barbara Channel offers exceptional conditions for studying kelp forest dynamics. Consistent upwelling drives high productivity, the Channel Islands create natural gradients of fishing pressure and oceanographic conditions, and established marine protected areas provide large-scale experimental contrasts. These features make it one of the best places in the world to study how predator-prey dynamics shape temperate reef ecosystems.

Our research focuses on the interactions between spiny lobsters, sea urchins, and kelp—using field experiments, long-term monitoring data, and population models to understand ecosystem dynamics and inform fisheries management. We combine laboratory experiments on predator physiology with 20+ years of continuous field monitoring through the SBC Long Term Ecological Research site, detecting patterns that shorter studies miss.