Kelp forests provide a great diversity of ecosystem services. Here we focus on “Blue Carbon”, the service of capturing atmospheric CO2 through primary production. We used multispectral satellite imagery to monitor changes in giant kelp biomass in Todos Santos Bay (BTS), Baja California from 1989-2017. Our data suggest kelp forests in this area are comparable with tropical rain forests in the amount of C they can capture per unit area (annual average 8.54 gr C m-2). In addition, we found an interesting spatial variability with persistent patches of kelp sequestering as much as 900 gr C m-2 annually. In this first approximation, we highlight the role of coastal marine ecosystems at BTS as important players in mitigating the effects of climate change through sequestration of atmospheric CO2.
