Developing a genomics-enabled kelp biobanking and cryopreservation toolkit to restore climate-resilient kelp forests off the west coast of the United States.
California kelp
Team & Partners: Dr. Jennifer Smith and Mohammad Sedarat (Scripps/UCSD), Dr. Siobhan Braybrook (UCLA), Dr. Christopher Tubbs (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance), & Dr. Todd Michael (Salk Institute), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service (Channel Islands), Birch Aquarium, Paua Marine Research Group, Kelpwatch.org
Challenge: Marine heatwaves are rapidly degrading kelp forests, while restoration efforts lack tools to preserve genetic diversity and deploy climate-resilient lineages.
Approach: The team will build a statewide kelp biobank, robustly link genomic data with thermal performance across 300 lineages, and develop scalable cryopreservation protocols and decision-support tools.
Anticipated outcomes: This project will deliver a California-wide kelp biobank with linked genomic and climate-performance data, enabling evidence-based, climate-informed restoration and providing a scalable global model.
