OceanX | 5 Mind-blowing facts about Kelp @OceanX | Uploaded July 2024 | Updated October 2024, 14 hours ago.
The underrated superstar of the ocean, here are 5 facts about kelp you may not know:
1️⃣ If living in ideal conditions, some kelp can grow 18 inches a day. Whereas coral can take centuries - or even millennia - to grow into a full reef.
2️⃣ Giant kelp is in more products than you think. Kelp is used as a binding or emulsifying agent in everything from ice cream to makeup. It was even used during WWI as a component in gunpowder and fertilizer.
3️⃣ All kelp is seaweed but not all seaweed is kelp. That’s because kelp is the largest subgroup of seaweed.
4️⃣ Kelp are not plants. They are marine algae and lack the vascular system and roots of a plant. They can absorb the water and nutrients they need directly from the ocean.
5️⃣ Kelp forests capture around 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide from seawater each year. It also provides habitat for marine life and protects coastal areas from storms.
The underrated superstar of the ocean, here are 5 facts about kelp you may not know:
1️⃣ If living in ideal conditions, some kelp can grow 18 inches a day. Whereas coral can take centuries - or even millennia - to grow into a full reef.
2️⃣ Giant kelp is in more products than you think. Kelp is used as a binding or emulsifying agent in everything from ice cream to makeup. It was even used during WWI as a component in gunpowder and fertilizer.
3️⃣ All kelp is seaweed but not all seaweed is kelp. That’s because kelp is the largest subgroup of seaweed.
4️⃣ Kelp are not plants. They are marine algae and lack the vascular system and roots of a plant. They can absorb the water and nutrients they need directly from the ocean.
5️⃣ Kelp forests capture around 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide from seawater each year. It also provides habitat for marine life and protects coastal areas from storms.
