SBC LTER: Reef: Long-term experiment: Kelp removal: Abundance and size of Giant Kelp

These data describe the abundance and size of giant kelp
( Macrocystis pyrifera ) within permanent plots
of a long-term experiment designed to examine trajectories of
change in the structure and productivity of kelp forest
communities in response to changes in the frequency and severity
of disturbance to giant kelp. The number of giant kelp > 1 m
tall were recorded within four contiguous 20 m x 1m permanent
plots located within a 40 m x 2 m area. The number of fronds >
1 m tall were counted for each individual and used as an estimate
of its size. The experiment was initiated in 2008 at five reef
sites along the mainland coast of the Santa Barbara Channel and
included an annual kelp removal treatment designed to simulate
increases in the frequency and severity of winter wave disturbance
and a continual kelp removal treatment that allowed the effects of
giant kelp on the community to be evaluated. The last experimental
removals of giant kelp occurred in winter 2016 or winter 2017,
depending on the site. Data collection continued in all plots
until spring 2023 to document the recovery trajectory of the reef
fish community following the cessation of experimental kelp
removal.