Drones for Kelp Conservation: Investigating Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles To Improve Upon Kelp Canopy Monitoring Strategies

Kelp Help aims to close critical gaps in kelp forest monitoring and restoration by leveraging Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology to improve the detection, monitoring, and analysis of kelp canopy coverage and condition. Compared to existing satellite-based methods, UAV methods can provide higher resolution and flexible timing, during low tide height and low current conditions, that can ultimately yield more accurate and insightful monitoring. Assessing a kelp forest’s physiological condition can involve costly dive surveys and chemical sampling. Developing methodologies to remotely assess kelp condition, allowing for reduced frequency of field-based surveys, could benefit conservation and kelp cultivation efforts

The Santa Barbara Channel, specifically the Mohawk and Arroyo Quemado reefs, serves as the geographic focus of this project. Through comparing biomass estimates derived from satellite imagery and with those derived from UAV imagery, this project will quantify the increased accuracy provided by higher spatial and temporal resolution of UAV-based monitoring. By integrating UAV-derived imagery with field-based ecological measurements - including nutrient status, epibiont load, and growth rates - the project will develop sensitive indicators of kelp condition. With this information, kelp farmers and restoration managers can detect early signs of stress, and support adaptive management with increased accuracy and at less cost compared to current methods. This work not only advances kelp canopy monitoring strategies for stakeholders, but also demonstrates the broader potential of UAVs as scalable, cost-effective tools for marine ecosystem monitoring and restoration.