The Frond

Kelp Ark, the ocean conservation nonprofit operated by AltaSeads Conservancy, is formally relaunching its Adopt A Kelp℠ program to raise funds for rapid response collections and the preservation of California’s kelp biodiversity ahead of a forecast “Super El Niño”.

An increased frequency and intensity of marine heat waves throughout the Northeast Pacific, combined with the developing Super El Niño, pose a significant risk to existing kelp forests.

Kelp Ark is continuing to grow our Alaska kelp biobank, and we’re excited to share our latest milestone. During our recent collection efforts in Kodiak, we added 67 new kelp accessions to the collection.

Kelp Ark is proud to share that Dr. Emily Aguirre, Research and Restoration Lead at Kelp Ark, has been selected as a recipient of a 2026 New Investigator Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI).

Meet KARA, Kelp Ark’s AI-powered research assistant and living library for kelp conservation.

In the 1980s, during a period of bold marine research, Dr. Wheeler J. North, a pioneer in kelp biology and the early champion of kelp seed banking, began exploring environmental resilience in giant kelp. North wasn’t just a visionary; he was also a bit of a cowboy.

Kelp Ark investigates how microbial communities may be inherited in seaweed.
Research Lead, Dr. Aguirre is exploring how seaweeds may pass along their microbiome, the community of microscopic organisms that live in and on them, from one generation to the next.

Kelp Ark, in partnership with researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and Alaskan kelp farmer Nick Mangini, has received funding from Alaska Mariculture Cluster’s Southern Conference (SEC) to help ensure the future of kelp farming in Alaska.

Coming atmospheric river storm systems worsen ocean conditions by introducing toxins and debris.