Kelp metapopulations: Semi-annual time series of giant kelp patch area, biomass and fecundity in southern California, 1996 - 2006

These data describe the patch-scale canopy biomass and population fecundity of giant kelp,
Macrocystis pyrifera, in southern California, USA, from 1996¬ to 2007. Biomass of the surface
canopy was estimated using diver-calibrated Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper and Landsat 7 Enhanced
Thematic Mapper Plus satellite imagery. Fecundity was estimated from canopy biomass pixel data
using a seasonally-adjusted relationship between the diver-measured density of giant kelp
spore-bearing tissue and the Landsat estimate of canopy biomass density using data collected
across five years at the San Clemente Artificial Reef, located offshore of San Clemente,
California, USA. Landsat pixel-scale estimates of giant kelp biomass and fecundity were summed
across space for each giant kelp patch and averaged across time separately with two semesters
each year (January–June and July–December). The location and area of each giant kelp patch are
also provided. These data were described in <ulink url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/15-0283.1">Castorani, M.
C., D. C. Reed, F. Alberto, T. W. Bell, R. D. Simons, K. C. Cavanaugh, D. A. Siegel and P. T.
Raimondi. Connectivity structures local populations dynamics: a long-term empirical test in a
large metapopulation system. Ecology. DOI: 10.1890/15-0283.1</ulink> These data are part of the NSF collaborative project: The effect of inbreeding on
metapopulation dynamics of the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera (funded wholly or part by NSF
Awards OCE-1233283, 1233288, 1233839).