To better understand the long term patterns of kelp loss throughout the Aleutian Archipelago we will utilize satellite imagery to estimate changes in kelp canopy biomass. It is difficult to assess change over large enough spatial and temporal scales to capture the nature and extent of these changes. To overcome this, remote sensing has become a powerful tool to observe changes to earth's ecosystems over decadal scales on scales of 10s meters. This method has been widely used in terrestrial systems to assess change in terrestrial vegetation and more recently in coral reef, seagrass, and intertidal communities. The spectral signature of floating kelp canopy can be distinguished from seawater, which absorbs almost all incoming near-infrared energy, creating a way to distinguish kelp. We are in the process of identifying how kelp forests have changes in size and by location across the Aleutians will the loss of sea otters, increase in urchins, and loss of many kelp forested areas.

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