![A sea urchin army is mowing down California's kelp forests – but why?](https://www.dailyclimate.org/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3cyLmtxZWQub3JnL3NjaWVuY2Uvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzL3NpdGVzLzM1LzIwMTgvMDcvdXJjaGlucy1hbmQta2VscC04MDB4NDUwLmpwZyIsImV4cGlyZXNfYXQiOjE3NDM3MjAyNjF9.qNS9C3h8wZWEpr2AQu-d5mWxdgyfT4tNUxVauYbJjW8/image.jpg?width=980&quality=85)
www.kqed.org
20 July 2018
A sea urchin army is mowing down California's kelp forests – but why?
Kelp is a keystone in the ocean ecosystem. It's not entirely clear why the urchins have taken over, but there's optimism that the kelp devastation is temporary.