These divers brave to save the kelp forest

(CNN Spanish) – – “Give this cold water… it cuts you all over your body like a thousand knives.” You may recognize this line: It’s from “Titanic,” and Jack tells Rose to convince her not to jump into the ocean. But, in real life, a group of people face “these cold waters” in the seas of Patagonia, Argentina, with a clear objective: to protect the kelp forest.

And what is a kelp forest? It is a group of large, brown seaweeds found in cold waters, as defined by the United States’ National Ocean Service.

These algae “can reach heights of 20 to 30 meters and are very important because they are habitat builders, ecosystem engineers,” Christian Leger, a Coniset researcher, National Geographic Explorer and scientific director of the Por El Mar, a foundation, told CNN. explains. “Which promotes actions for the protection and restoration of the ocean,” reads his Instagram profile.

“The presence of these macroalgae allows the ecosystem to come alive. It is analogous to a terrestrial forest: algae provide organic matter and carry out photosynthesis,” he adds.

Scientists are trying to track down all the species that live in these marine forests (Photo: Christian Lager)

But the main fact about these marine forests is that they sequester not only oxygen, but also carbon. “That’s what everyone looks up to today. They are ecosystems that can provide a natural solution to climate change,” says Leger.

And Argentina has thousands of hectares in the sea. From the south of Chubut province, to the most extreme point of Tierra del Fuego.

But, unfortunately, “there is little information about this ecosystem,” says Leger. And that’s why a team of scientists and divers from the NGO Por El Mar conducts extreme expeditions in the waters of Monte Leon in Santa Cruz, Argentina.

The team is interdisciplinary and composed of biologists and divers Diego Gimenez, Manuel Novillo, Carolina Pantano, Natalia Aga Milović, Melissa Lera; underwater cameraman, Uriel Sokolowicz; In addition to Lager, marine driver Daniel Fuyo and Lautaro March, photographer.

Kelp forests are essential to help reduce the impact of climate change (Photo: Christian Lager)

“The aim is to start treating these forests not only with science, but also with people’s empathy.” The NGO tries to document everything that lives in the ecosystem, on the one hand, to think of the best strategy to protect it, and on the other hand, to show people shocking images of these little-explored forests. “Together we can prevent these forests, which have deteriorated globally in recent years, from further damage,” says Leger.

Cold, wind and treacherous currents

But exploring these marine forests is for the brave. Icy waters, strong waves and surface winds are some of the obstacles that this team of professionals will face on the mission.

“The water is close to 6 degrees and, although we use special equipment, it still feels cold,” explains Manuel Novillo, a scientific diver, a marine biologist graduated from the National University of Córdoba and a postdoctoral fellow at Coniset, who joined the last expedition. . Help take samples that allow us to estimate and understand the diversity of species associated with this forest.

“The most challenging thing about diving in Patagonia is the hostile environment,” admits Novillo. Apart from the cold, there is also a lot of wind. “Sometimes it’s hard to get back on the boat,” he says.

Exploring kelp forests is a challenge: wind, cold and currents are some of the obstacles (Photo: Christian Lager)

Additionally, visibility conditions are not always good. “Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable, due to the presence of a lot of suspended sediment, which makes diving difficult. Sometimes we had to suspend,” Novillo recalls.
But for these sea guardians, the challenge is worth it

“It’s like zip-lining through a terrestrial jungle. You have that incredible dimension of what that forest can be. Species are always being discovered: stars, nudibranchs, hedgehogs,” says Leger.

The aim of Por El Mar is for people to get to know these forests through photos and videos and to feel sympathy for their conservation (Photo: Christian Leger)

The images prove him right: it’s hard to imagine that beneath that brown spot on the surface, many species co-exist and many more are yet to be discovered. So, the mission of this team of professionals does not end here.

“We have managed to achieve our first objective, which is to start exploring the kelp forest of Monte Leon. But we will continue the fight so that Argentina stops turning its back to the sea,” Novillo says. “We have a unique environment that needs to be protected, we can all be part of the change. “We will continue to work as a team to create the Monte Leon National Park Marine Protected Area.”