Big Seaweed Search

Go rockpooling for research! Help us monitor the effects of environmental change on Britain’s sealife by exploring the seashore and recording the living seaweeds you find there.

The Big Seaweed Search first launched in 2009. Hundreds of people took part and the data gathered, alongside other research, show that the distribution of seaweeds around the UK is changing.

Now we aim to scale up the survey to collect thousands of new observations and to focus on key environmental issues that need more research.

These issues are:

rising sea temperature
the arrival and spread of non-native species of seaweed
ocean acidification (the sea becoming more acidic as a result of absorbing carbon dioxide from the air)

Home to a particularly high diversity of species, the UK is a special place for seaweeds. Unfortunately, seaweeds are not as popular as flowers, butterflies or birds, so fewer people make and submit observations of them.

As a result, we know comparatively little about the abundance and distribution of seaweed species, and how this may change over time.

Understanding more about seaweeds is critical to protecting marine environments.

Anyone can take part and the survey is open all year round.