The state of California conducts regular aerial photographic surveys of the kelp canopy off of rocky coastlines. According to state surveys and closer study by researchers at UC Davis and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, kelp cover has declined drastically along the state’s northern coast. The map below shows the statewide picture over four separate survey years, and close-ups of four key locations.
Related article: Hitting Rock Bottom: The Disappearance of California’s Underwater Forests
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Geoff McGhee
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Geoff McGhee specializes in interactive data visualization and multimedia storytelling. He is a veteran of the multimedia and infographics staffs at The New York Times, Le Monde and ABCNews.com. MORE »
Xavier Martinez
Editorial Assistant
Xavier graduated from Stanford in 2023 with a degree in economics and is currently a master’s student in Stanford’s journalism program. He has written about the high phone call costs faced by U.S. inmates, temporary Mexican workers’ interactions with the labor market and the efficacy of government healthcare assistance programs. A lifelong lover of charts and maps, he enjoys combining data journalism with narrative-style reporting.
‘& the West’ is published by the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University, which is dedicated to research, teaching, and journalism about the past, present, and future of the North American West.
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