|25 May 2010| Take a walk along the coast and help us monitor
the effects of climate change and invasive species on the UK's
seaweeds. Seaweeds are easy to find and occur all around the UK
coastline. There are a staggering 650 seaweed species in the UK,
around 7% of the world's species, and they play a vital role in
the functioning of the marine environment. Scientists think that
the effects of climate change and the spread of invasive species
are starting to have an effect on where they are found but they
need more information to be sure. This is where you can help.
Identify the seaweeds you spot on the UK's coast and tell us
what you find. This will help researchers from the British
Phycological Society and Natural History Museum to find out what
is happening to our seaweeds. The aim of the Big Seaweed Search
is to map the distribution of 12 key kinds of seaweed that can
be found around the UK coast. We hope to track how these
distributions are changing through time. You don't need to be an
expert as our ea