Abstract

This article analyses how California’s ship Emissions Control Area (ECA), introduced in 2009 during the recovery of international trade traffic, has affected one of the coast’s most important marine ecosystems: kelp forests. Using satellite data to locate the kelp, tracking vessels using AIS signals, and using a difference-in-difference approach, we analyze how the canopy has evolved. We find that the maritime regulation of the ECA has led to a significant increase in kelp canopy and biomass growth

Practical information