Patterns, transport, and processing of organic and inorganic inputs to coastal reefs

Understanding terrestrial influences on kelp forest ecosystems is a principal goal of our watershed research. Fluvial transport and processing of nutrients, organic matter and sediment are primary ways in which land masses influence coastal ecosystems such as kelp forests. The volume, transport, processing and chemical properties of runoff are controlled by the amount and pattern of rainfall, watershed area, topography,vegetation, soils, geology, land use and perturbations, such as fire. The diverse watersheds of the SBC region differ greatly in these characteristics, which allow for spatial comparisons of terrestrial inputs to kelp forests, whereas the episodic stream flows characteristic of the region facilitate investigations of the consequences of temporal variation in terrestrial inputs to kelp forests.