Primary production of the kelp Lessonia corrugata varies with season and water motion: Implications for coastal carbon cycling.

Kelp forests provide vital ecosystem services such as carbon storage and cycling, and understanding primary production dynamics regarding seasonal and spatial variations is essential. We conducted surveys at three sites in southeast Tasmania, Australia, that had different levels of water motion, across four seasons to determine seasonal primary production and carbon storage as living biomass for kelp beds of Lessonia corrugata (Order Laminariales). We quantified blade growth, erosion rates, and the variation in population density and estimated both the net biomass accumulation (NBA) per square meter and the carbon standing stock.