These data are a time series of net primary production (NPP), growth and standing crop for the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, that is appropriate for examining seasonal and inter-annual patterns across multiple sites. The standing crop and loss rates of M. pyrifera are measured monthly in permanent plots at three sites in the Santa Barbara Channel, USA. Collection of these data began in May 2002 and is ongoing. Seasonal estimates of NPP and growth rate are made by combining the field data with a model of kelp dynamics. The dataset includes plant density in each plot and censuses of fronds on tagged plants at each site. NPP, mass specific growth rate and standing crop are presented in four metrics (wet mass, dry mass, carbon mass and nitrogen mass) to facilitate comparisons with previous studies of M. pyrifera and with NPP measured in other ecosystems.
A subset of these data covering the time period 2002-05-01 to 2007-12-31 were contributed to Ecological Archives as Data Paper E089-119-D1 in 2008 (citation:Andrew Rassweiler, Katie K. Arkema, Daniel C. Reed, Richard C. Zimmerman, and Mark A. Brzezinski. 2008. Net primary production, growth, and standing crop of Macrocystis pyrifera in southern California. Ecology 89:2068).