Floating Kelp Canopies: A New Vital Sign Indicator In Puget Sound, Initial Scoping

This document is part of a collaborative project to develop a floating kelp canopy area indicator for the Puget Sound Partnership’s Beaches and Marine Vegetation Vital Sign. It represents the first step in a process to produce an indicator that will allow us to track the condition of kelp forests and communicate findings to the public. This report presents preliminary scoping information to support development of the floating kelp canopy area ecological indicator, a newly identified biophysical indicator for the Puget Sound Partnership’s Beaches and Marine Vegetation Vital Sign. The report summarizes required and desirable attributes, along with candidate datasets. The purpose of the report is to make an initial plan available and to elicit feedback from the Puget Sound community. The Project Team will use the findings to guide future work. The project will culminate in May 2023 with posting of the newly developed indicator and associated results on PS Info, the Vital Sign reporting system.