March Lecture: Kelp Research
March 13th Lecture: A Healthy Salish Sea Starts With Kelp With Seattle Aquarium ROV Researcher Dr. Zachary Randell
Dr. Randell leads the Coastal Climate Resilience (CCR) research program at the Seattle Aquarium, leveraging small, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), equipped with cameras, sensors, and open-source AI tools, to conduct high‑resolution video and photo surveys of kelp forests and other benthic habitats in shallow coastal waters (5–40 m depth). The program’s goals are to expand benthic data collection, efficiently extract ecological data using AI, integrate ROV data with broader environmental datasets (e.g., diver surveys, drones, satellites), and share all protocols and resources openly to foster collaboration.
Meet The Speaker
Dr. Zachary Randell grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, where he started scuba diving at age15. His passion for the ocean led him to pursue scientific scuba diving at UC Santa Cruz, where he worked for several state and federal entities tasked with conducting benthic (seafloor) monitoring via scientific scuba diving. He completed a Ph.D. at Oregon State University in 2021, focused on long-term kelp forest dynamics, subtidal conservation programs and partnerships department at the Seattle Aquarium, Dr. Randell is using inexpensive and customizable ROV technology and open-source software in an effort to change the way we gather data along the seafloor, all to better inform kelp forest conservation, restoration, and management.