Kelp does not collapse; it thins before it breaks.
Canopy Lab
Monthly diver transects show early density loss well before surface canopy disappears.
Mean holdfast density
41.7
stipes per 10 square meters
+18.4% from low
Recovery starts below the canopy, where new stipes appear as a narrow amber band before the surface reads healthy.
Monterey outer reef transect, 2026 season
Sub-canopy density recovered before visible cover.
Stipe density
Surface canopy