Description: This dataset is a compilation of data collected and synthesized by partners of the Kelp Forest Monitoring Alliance of Washington State. The Alliance unites a diverse set of organizations, working together to track floating kelp status and trends across Washington State. The Alliance works to advance understanding and conservation through coproduction of knowledge and information sharing. The primary product is the statewide Floating Kelp Indicator which synthesizes multiple monitoring datasets from state agency monitoring, community science, Indigenous Scientific Knowledge, and other sources. The statewide indicator provides regional monitoring data to the Puget Sound Partnership’s Vital Signs program and other research and management efforts. Through collaborations and partnerships, the Alliance links floating kelp monitoring to broader ecosystem topics, including species that depend on floating kelp, understory kelp monitoring, stressors, restoration, and management. See our summary report for more information.
Copyright Text: This data is powered by The Kelp Forest Alliance of Washington State (KelpForestsWA) led by the Samish Indian Nation, Northwest Straits Commission and County Marine Resource Committees, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Nearshore Habitat Program. Data is compiled in partnership with the University of Washington: Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington Sea Grant, and Marine Agronomics.
Description: This dataset is a compilation of data collected and synthesized by partners of the Kelp Forest Monitoring Alliance of Washington State. The Alliance unites a diverse set of organizations, working together to track floating kelp status and trends across Washington State. The Alliance works to advance understanding and conservation through coproduction of knowledge and information sharing. The primary product is the statewide Floating Kelp Indicator which synthesizes multiple monitoring datasets from state agency monitoring, community science, Indigenous Scientific Knowledge, and other sources. The statewide indicator provides regional monitoring data to the Puget Sound Partnership’s Vital Signs program and other research and management efforts. Through collaborations and partnerships, the Alliance links floating kelp monitoring to broader ecosystem topics, including species that depend on floating kelp, understory kelp monitoring, stressors, restoration, and management. See our summary report for more information.
Copyright Text: This data is powered by The Kelp Forest Alliance of Washington State (KelpForestsWA) led by the Samish Indian Nation, Northwest Straits Commission and County Marine Resource Committees, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Nearshore Habitat Program. Data is compiled in partnership with the University of Washington: Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington Sea Grant, and Marine Agronomics.
Name: Floating Kelp - bed extent in most recent year (2024)
Display Field: unit_id
Type: Feature Layer
Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolygon
Has Views: true
Source Schema Changes Allowed: true
Description: This data informs the statewide Floating Kelp Indicator and includes 177 floating kelp monitoring sites within 10 geographic sub-basins in Washington State. Each site is assessed for recent (5yr) and long-term trends and includes most recent (2024) and maximum extents layer of floating kelp (all floating kelp observed over the data record). Each sub-basin has an associated trend status, determined by assessing the collective long-term trends of floating kelp at sites within each basin. The primary statewide metric is floating kelp bed area evaluated at selected locations throughout the study area. The bed is defined as the area encompassing kelp tissues floating on the water surface, including small gaps between adjacent individuals. This metric was selected because it has the most extensive available data, temporally and spatially. The distance threshold for grouping adjacent individuals into beds varies among individual monitoring protocols, ranging from 8 to 25 m. The program also tracks other parameters at a subset of sites, including canopy area.Methods to delineate floating kelp vary slightly among groups within the monitoring alliance. Survey techniques include small boat surveys and aerial imagery collection and classification. Data collection is restricted to summer months, when floating kelp forests are at their greatest seasonal extent. To maximize kelp detection, surveys are optimally conducted during periods of low tide, slack currents, and calm weather.See our summary report for more information.
Copyright Text: This data is powered by The Kelp Forest Alliance of Washington State led by the Samish Indian Nation, Northwest Straits Commission and County Marine Resource Committees, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Nearshore Habitat Program. Data is compiled in partnership with the University of Washington: Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington Sea Grant, and Marine Agronomics.
Description: This data informs the statewide Floating Kelp Indicator and includes 177 floating kelp monitoring sites within 10 geographic sub-basins in Washington State. Each site is assessed for recent (5yr) and long-term trends and includes most recent (2024) and maximum extents layer of floating kelp (all floating kelp observed over the data record). Each sub-basin has an associated trend status, determined by assessing the collective long-term trends of floating kelp at sites within each basin. The primary statewide metric is floating kelp bed area evaluated at selected locations throughout the study area. The bed is defined as the area encompassing kelp tissues floating on the water surface, including small gaps between adjacent individuals. This metric was selected because it has the most extensive available data, temporally and spatially. The distance threshold for grouping adjacent individuals into beds varies among individual monitoring protocols, ranging from 8 to 25 m. The program also tracks other parameters at a subset of sites, including canopy area.Methods to delineate floating kelp vary slightly among groups within the monitoring alliance. Survey techniques include small boat surveys and aerial imagery collection and classification. Data collection is restricted to summer months, when floating kelp forests are at their greatest seasonal extent. To maximize kelp detection, surveys are optimally conducted during periods of low tide, slack currents, and calm weather.See our summary report for more information.
Copyright Text: This data is powered by The Kelp Forest Alliance of Washington State led by the Samish Indian Nation, Northwest Straits Commission and County Marine Resource Committees, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Nearshore Habitat Program. Data is compiled in partnership with the University of Washington: Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington Sea Grant, and Marine Agronomics.
Description: This data informs the statewide Floating Kelp Indicator and includes 177 floating kelp monitoring sites within 10 geographic sub-basins in Washington State. Each site is assessed for recent (5yr) and long-term trends and includes most recent (2024) and maximum extents layer of floating kelp (all floating kelp observed over the data record). Each sub-basin has an associated trend status, determined by assessing the collective long-term trends of floating kelp at sites within each basin. The primary statewide metric is floating kelp bed area evaluated at selected locations throughout the study area. The bed is defined as the area encompassing kelp tissues floating on the water surface, including small gaps between adjacent individuals. This metric was selected because it has the most extensive available data, temporally and spatially. The distance threshold for grouping adjacent individuals into beds varies among individual monitoring protocols, ranging from 8 to 25 m. The program also tracks other parameters at a subset of sites, including canopy area.Methods to delineate floating kelp vary slightly among groups within the monitoring alliance. Survey techniques include small boat surveys and aerial imagery collection and classification. Data collection is restricted to summer months, when floating kelp forests are at their greatest seasonal extent. To maximize kelp detection, surveys are optimally conducted during periods of low tide, slack currents, and calm weather.See our summary report for more information.
Copyright Text: This data is powered by The Kelp Forest Alliance of Washington State led by the Samish Indian Nation, Northwest Straits Commission and County Marine Resource Committees, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Nearshore Habitat Program. Data is compiled in partnership with the University of Washington: Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington Sea Grant, and Marine Agronomics.
Description: This data informs the statewide Floating Kelp Indicator and includes 177 floating kelp monitoring sites within 10 geographic sub-basins in Washington State. Each site is assessed for recent (5yr) and long-term trends and includes most recent (2024) and maximum extents layer of floating kelp (all floating kelp observed over the data record). Each sub-basin has an associated trend status, determined by assessing the collective long-term trends of floating kelp at sites within each basin. The primary statewide metric is floating kelp bed area evaluated at selected locations throughout the study area. The bed is defined as the area encompassing kelp tissues floating on the water surface, including small gaps between adjacent individuals. This metric was selected because it has the most extensive available data, temporally and spatially. The distance threshold for grouping adjacent individuals into beds varies among individual monitoring protocols, ranging from 8 to 25 m. The program also tracks other parameters at a subset of sites, including canopy area.Methods to delineate floating kelp vary slightly among groups within the monitoring alliance. Survey techniques include small boat surveys and aerial imagery collection and classification. Data collection is restricted to summer months, when floating kelp forests are at their greatest seasonal extent. To maximize kelp detection, surveys are optimally conducted during periods of low tide, slack currents, and calm weather.See our summary report for more information.
Copyright Text: This data is powered by The Kelp Forest Alliance of Washington State led by the Samish Indian Nation, Northwest Straits Commission and County Marine Resource Committees, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Nearshore Habitat Program. Data is compiled in partnership with the University of Washington: Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington Sea Grant, and Marine Agronomics.
Description: This data informs the statewide Floating Kelp Indicator and includes 177 floating kelp monitoring sites within 10 geographic sub-basins in Washington State. Each site is assessed for recent (5yr) and long-term trends and includes most recent (2024) and maximum extents layer of floating kelp (all floating kelp observed over the data record). Each sub-basin has an associated trend status, determined by assessing the collective long-term trends of floating kelp at sites within each basin. The primary statewide metric is floating kelp bed area evaluated at selected locations throughout the study area. The bed is defined as the area encompassing kelp tissues floating on the water surface, including small gaps between adjacent individuals. This metric was selected because it has the most extensive available data, temporally and spatially. The distance threshold for grouping adjacent individuals into beds varies among individual monitoring protocols, ranging from 8 to 25 m. The program also tracks other parameters at a subset of sites, including canopy area.Methods to delineate floating kelp vary slightly among groups within the monitoring alliance. Survey techniques include small boat surveys and aerial imagery collection and classification. Data collection is restricted to summer months, when floating kelp forests are at their greatest seasonal extent. To maximize kelp detection, surveys are optimally conducted during periods of low tide, slack currents, and calm weather.See our summary report for more information.
Copyright Text: This data is powered by The Kelp Forest Alliance of Washington State led by the Samish Indian Nation, Northwest Straits Commission and County Marine Resource Committees, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Nearshore Habitat Program. Data is compiled in partnership with the University of Washington: Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington Sea Grant, and Marine Agronomics.