Tests will assess if farms could reduce pollution and ocean acidification, boost wildlife habitat
A team of researchers led by Loretta Roberson, associate scientist at the University of Chicago-affiliated Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, has installed the first seaweed farm in Puerto Rico and U.S. tropical waters.
The farm is intended to test a system for offshore cultivation of tropical seaweeds to support large-scale production of biomass for biofuels and other products.
“Puerto Rico has stable warm temperatures and ample sunlight year-round, as well as a wide range of exposure to prevailing winds and waves,” said Roberson, the lead principal investigator on this research effort. “These conditions make its southern coastline an ideal test bed for exploring how environmental conditions influence the biological, physiological, and chemical properties of cultivated macroalgae, as well as the impact of seaweed farms on the surrounding environment.”