Chuck Kopczak
Kelp Forest
Take a trip to our living, growing kelp forest. Walk through a tunnel at the bottom of a 188,000 gallon tank, and gaze into the kelp as though you were walking along the ocean floor. In this nutrient-rich habitat you’ll see many of the plants and animals you’d find off the Southern California coast, from leopard sharks and garibaldi, to bat rays and moray eels.
- Field Guide
- Identify the species you see in the kelp tank, and find out how they make a living in the kelp forest.
- Which Blade Mixes Better
- Conduct your own experiment in a tank of flowing water to see how shape affects the ability of kelp blades to mix nutrients in the ocean.
- Take a Survey in the Kelp
- How many animals live in a kelp forest? Take a representative sample, scale it up and see how close you get to the actual number of animals living in the tank.
- Slurping Up Leftovers
- Watch scavenging in action as live Kellet’s whelks and hermit crabs suck up dead fish!