This article is about the aquatic plant-like algae. For its culinary uses, see Edible seaweed. For the similarly-named plant, see Seagrass. For other uses, see Seaweed (disambiguation).
Seaweed
Informal group of macroscopic marine algae
Fucus serratus
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Seaweeds can be found in the following groups
Chlorophyta (green algae)
Phaeophyceae (brown algae)
Phaeothamniophyceae
Chrysophyceae (gold algae)
Cyanobacteria[1][2]
Rhodophyta (red algae)
Ascophyllum nodosum exposed to the sun in Nova Scotia, CanadaDead man's fingers (Codium fragile) off the Massachusetts coast in the United StatesThe top of a kelp forest in Otago, New Zealand
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of Rhodophyta (red), Phaeophyta (brown) and Chlorophyta (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as kelps provide essential nursery habitat for fisheries and other marine species and thus protect food sources; other species, such as planktonic algae, play a vital role in capturing carbon and producing at least 50% of Earth's oxygen.[3]
Natural seaweed ecosystems are sometimes under threat from human activity. For example, mechanical dredging of kelp destroys the resource and dependent fisheries. Other forces also threaten some seaweed ecosystems; for example, a wasting disease in predators of purple urchins has led to an urchin population surge which has destroyed large kelp forest regions off the coast of California.[4]
Humans have a long history of cultivating seaweeds for their uses. In recent years, seaweed farming has become a global agricultural practice, providing food, source material for various chemical uses (such as carrageenan), cattle feeds and fertilizers. Due to their importance in marine ecologies and for absorbing carbon dioxide, recent attention has been on cultivating seaweeds as a potential climate change mitigation strategy for biosequestration of carbon dioxide, alongside other benefits like nutrient pollution reduction, increased habitat for coastal aquatic species, and reducing local ocean acidification.[5] The IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate recommends "further research attention" as a mitigation tactic.[6]
^Cite error: The named reference cyan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^James, William D.; Berger, Timothy G.; et al. (2006). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: clinical Dermatology. Saunders Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-7216-2921-6.
^"How much oxygen comes from the ocean?". National Ocean Service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
^Duarte, Carlos M.; Wu, Jiaping; Xiao, Xi; Bruhn, Annette; Krause-Jensen, Dorte (2017). "Can Seaweed Farming Play a Role in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation?". Frontiers in Marine Science. 4. doi:10.3389/fmars.2017.00100. ISSN 2296-7745.
^Bindoff, N. L.; Cheung, W. W. L.; Kairo, J. G.; Arístegui, J.; et al. (2019). "Chapter 5: Changing Ocean, Marine Ecosystems, and Dependent Communities" (PDF). IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. pp. 447–587.
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of Rhodophyta (red),...
Seaweed farming or kelp farming is the practice of cultivating and harvesting seaweed. In its simplest form farmers gather from natural beds, while at...
Edible seaweed, or sea vegetables, are seaweeds that can be eaten and used for culinary purposes. They typically contain high amounts of fiber. They may...
Seaweed fertiliser (or fertilizer) is organic fertilizer made from seaweed that is used in agriculture to increase soil fertility and plant growth. The...
found in land plants. The largest and most complex marine algae are called seaweeds, while the most complex freshwater forms are the Charophyta, a division...
Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalgae (seaweed) in the order Fucales of the Phaeophyceae class. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate...
Nori (海苔) is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, usually made from species of the red algae genus Pyropia, including P. yezoensis and P....
to cold, temperate coasts of the northwest Pacific Ocean. As an edible seaweed, it has a subtly sweet, but distinctive and strong flavour and satiny texture...
a washing facility in a monastery Green laver, a type of edible green seaweed used in East Asian cuisine Laver (surname), a list of people with the name...
A seaweed cultivator is a device which grows seaweed, usually in weekly or bi-weekly cycles. It is not to be confused with people who are seaweed cultivators...
Seaweed oil, also called algae oil or algal oil, is used for making food, with the purified product almost colorless and odorless. It is also under development...
get loads of seaweed. It's smelly and can cause these symptoms". Miami Herald. Coto, Dánica (August 3, 2022). "Record amount of seaweed is choking shores...
The Seaweed Rebellion is an informal marine environmentalist activist movement in the United States. Deriving its name from an analogy with grassroots...
such as corn and sugarcane. When made from seaweed (macroalgae) it can be known as seaweed fuel or seaweed oil. In December 2022, ExxonMobil, the last...
Seaweed collecting is the process of collecting, drying, and pressing seaweed. It became popular as a pastime in the Victorian era and remains a hobby...
or serrated green seaweed, is a species of seaweed in the Caulerpaceae family found in warm marine water environments. The seaweed has a green to grey-green...
strips of coconut, young papaya, mung bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, or seaweed. The term pancit (or the standardized but less common pansít) is derived...
Phaeophyceae. They include many seaweeds located in colder waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the temperate and polar...
eaten. In Japanese it is known as okahijiki which translates as "land seaweed". Zhu, Gelin; Mosyakin, Sergei L.; Clemants, Steven E. "Salsola komarovii"...
Vanvoorstia bennettiana (Bennett's seaweed) was an extinct red algae from Australia. It is named after naturalist George Bennett. Vanvoorstia bennetiana...
natural linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red edible seaweeds. Carrageenans are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling,...
made from laver, an edible seaweed (littoral alga) consumed mainly in Wales as part of local traditional cuisine. The seaweed is commonly found around the...
Global Information
