Seminar on Kelp

Dr. Sara Hamilton, during her grad student years.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center’s summer seminar series opens with a talk on “Oregon’s Kelp Forests: Past, Present, and Future.” It takes place on Thursday, June 29, 3:30 p.m., in the auditorium of the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building at HMSC (2030 S.E. Marine Science Dr. in Newport).

This is a hybrid event. To attend online, go here.

The speaker is Sara Hamilton, Scientific Coordinator with The Oregon Kelp Alliance. She is a marine ecologist who studies patterns of ocean change and what it means for the ecosystems and animals that humans depend on. She received her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology at Oregon State University studying kelp forests under Drs. Kirsten Grorud-Colvert and Bruce Menge (and spoke to Oregon Shores about her research while still a grad student). She did postdoc research at the University of California—Davis, where she studied spatial patterns in the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia on commercially important shellfish species. 

While hidden from human eyes beneath the surface of the ocean, kelp forests cover nearly a quarter of the world's coastlines, harbor biodiverse ecosystems, and support a variety of fisheries and industries. Dr. Hamilton will introduce the audience to kelp forests and discuss why these marvelous underwater ecosystems are worth protecting. She'll explain the global context for kelp forests and why new efforts around restoration and protection have been spreading across the world over the past two decades. Zooming into the Oregon context, she will describe historical changes for Oregon's kelp forests and give recent updates on the current state of these ecosystems. Finally, she'll focus on Oregon's options for kelp forest restoration and protection in the face of climate change and how the Oregon Kelp Alliance is moving this critical work forward.

For those attending in person, there will be a cookie and coffee social in the Marine Studies Building atrium from 3-3:30 (bring your own mug). Food and drink is not allowed in the auditorium.