By DIVE Staff
From 23 – 31 July 2022, the Marine Conservation Society and the Natural History Museum are calling on citizen scientists across the UK to head to the coast and spot seaweed for the annual Big Seaweed Search Week.
Seaweed is one of the world’s great unsung heroes, playing a crucial role in marine ecosystems and helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. The UK is home to more than 650 different species of seaweed.
The Big Seaweed Search Week asks beachgoers to search for, and record, 14 of the most common seaweed species. This vital information helps the Marine Conservation Society and the Natural History Museum to map the distribution of specific species and collect long-term data that enables them to determine the environmental impact of changes in the ocean.
Amy Pilsbury, Citizen Science Lead at the Marine Conservation Society, said: ‘It’s easy for anyone to get involved in Big Seaweed Search Week – you don’t need to be a seaweed expert or live near the sea, just one visit to the coast will do. Studying seaweeds can tell us a lot about wider ocean and environmental conditions and the information supports real scientific research.’
Seaweed is a fast-growing type of algae, which produces more oxygen than land-based plants, and together with other phytoplankton, provides more than half of the oxygen we need to survive. Seaweed also absorbs carbon more effectively than trees, storing an estimated 175 million tonnes each year – equal to 10 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions.
As well as providing vital habitats for other species, seaweeds play a major part in marine food chains and are a rich source of nutrients for animals such as crabs and sea urchins. However, populations of kelp – large brown seaweeds that are a vital ‘blue carbon’ store – are reported to be declining around the world.
Data gathered by volunteers during the Big Seaweed Search helps build a picture of how the UK’s shores are changing, and helps to inform scientists and decision-makers how best to protect them. MCS uses the data submitted to build distribution maps in order to track how seaweed species respond to environmental changes over time, and also to build a Red Data List of British seaweeds to evaluate how endangered they are.
Anybody take part in the Big Seaweed Search Week, and MCS has created training videos and downloadable resources to assist, including a guide to identifying different seaweed species. The survey can be carried out as an individual or in groups, and be completed on a mobile, tablet or computer.
To get involved in the Big Seaweed Search Week:
- Register to take part and download your guide and recording form at bigseaweedsearch.org
- Choose your 5 metres of coastline to survey
- Fill in your survey form
- Take LOTS of clear, close-up photographs for your survey to be accepted
- Submit your survey through bigseaweedsearch.org
All the information needed to get started is available on the Marine Conservation Society’s website.
