Like forests on land, kelp forests change from season to season and year to year. And as the weather changes with the changing seasons, so does the kelp forest.
Spring is the season of renewal in the forest.
March winds blow surface waters offshore, and cold, nutrient-rich water wells up from the depths, fertilizing plants of all sizes. The sunlight of lengthening days coaxes new growth from red algae on the forest floor, while new fronds of giant kelp sprout from old holdfasts , reaching toward the surface as they grow. By June, gaps in the kelp canopy have closed, cutting off light to the forest floor. Spring spurs the growth of other algae, too. Countless billions of microscopic plant plankton turn the water murky green as they drift through the open waters of the bay.