But after witnessing the repercussions of marine heatwaves on kelp forests first-hand (virtually all local Bull kelp forests disappeared from the dive sites he frequented over just a few years) he dived into academia, earning a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Geography focussing on kelp monitoring and restoration. Brian is about to embark on his PhD in The Baum Lab, working with a newly discovered historical seaweed data set to study the effects of climate change on temperate near-shore ecosystems over the past 50 years. He will also use these data to guide restoration efforts in the Salish Sea. Follow him on X or read more about these ongoing collaborative projects at juliakbaum.org and kelprescue.org.