Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40180911›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Global floating kelp forests have limited protection despite intensifying marine heatwave threats.

Nur Arafeh-Dalmau, Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez, David S Schoeman, Alejandra Mora-Soto, Tom W Bell, Claire L Butler, Maycira Costa, Loyiso V Dunga, Henry F Houskeeper, Cristian Lagger and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Nur Arafeh-DalmauOceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, USA. n.arafehdalmau@uq.net.au.
Juan Carlos Villaseñor-DerbezOceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1245-589X
David S SchoemanOcean Futures Research Cluster, School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia.
Alejandra Mora-SotoIUCN Species Survival Commission, Seaweed Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland.
Tom W BellDepartment of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-2866
Claire L ButlerInstitute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4602-0395
Maycira CostaDepartment of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Loyiso V DungaIUCN Species Survival Commission, Seaweed Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland.
Henry F HouskeeperDepartment of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5848-5440
Cristian LaggerUniversidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Ecología Marina, Córdoba, Argentina.
Carolina PantanoFundación Por El Mar (PEM), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Daniela Laínez Del PozoSociedad, Ecología y Cultura, Lima, Perú.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2638-7357
Kerry J SinkSouth African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5051-573X
Jennifer SlettenProtectedSeas, Anthropocene Institute, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Timothe VincentProtectedSeas, Anthropocene Institute, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Fiorenza MicheliOceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6865-1438
Kyle C CavanaughDepartment of Geography, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Funding

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 80NSSC21K1429National Science Foundation (NSF) 2108566
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Kelp forests are one of the earth's most productive ecosystems and are at great risk from climate change, yet little is known regarding their current conservation status and global future threats. Here, by combining a global remote sensing dataset of floating kelp forests with climate data and projections, we find that exposure to projected marine heatwaves will increase ~6 to ~16 times in the long term (2081-2100) compared to contemporary (2001-2020) exposure. While exposure will intensify across all regions, some southern hemisphere areas which have lower exposure to contemporary and projected marine heatwaves may provide climate refugia for floating kelp forests. Under these escalating threats, less than 3% of global floating kelp forests are currently within highly restrictive marine protected areas (MPAs), the most effective MPAs for protecting biodiversity. Our findings emphasize the urgent need to increase the global protection of floating kelp forests and set bolder climate adaptation goals.

Indexed as

Conservation of Natural ResourcesForestsKelpBiodiversityClimate ChangeEcosystemHot TemperatureOceans and Seas

Identifiers

PMID40180911
PMCPMC11968876

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.