In Tromsø, the world’s northernmost city, non-profit Rissa Citizen Science formed a volunteer community of scientists, artists and inhabitants to restore the local kelp forests.

 

My contribution to the project consisted of documenting the community restoration event, a gathering of people who brave the icy winds and waters on a gloomy Sunday morning. I photographed the restoration site in Telegrafbukta above and below the surface and documented the exploration of the seabed by underwater ROV.

 

Kelp forests are the lungs of the ocean providing oxygen, capturing carbon, reducing ocean acidification, protecting coastlines in storms and providing nurseries for marine life. Overfishing in Norway has removed key predators in the ecosystem, leaving sea urchins to multiply and overgraze kelp forests, turning them into biological deserts.

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Only a year prior the seabed in Telegrafbukta was an urchin barren as far as the eyes could see. The efforts of Rissa and the volunteers seem to be paying off, with small patches of seaweeds and kelp starting to grow in different spots.

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