The reproductive cycle of sea urchins generally follows an annual cycle, but, like kelp abundance, there is a large amount of spatial and temporal variability in spawning (Kato & Schroeter, 1985). It is therefore feasible that the spawning cycle of sea urchins is impacted by the seasonal cycle of kelp abundance.
Future climate change is likely to result in phenological changes for many species, and these impacts may be especially pronounced in coastal and marine ecosystems (Edwards & Richardson, 2004). For example, there is evidence that the frequency of extreme wave heights in the northeast Pacific Ocean has increased in recent decades (Menéndez et al., 2008 and Ruggiero et al., 2010). These types of changes will undoubtedly have significant impacts on coastal ecosystem structure and function. Global observations of coastal ecosystems such as giant kelp forests on seasonal time scales will enable researchers to track phenological changes and improve our understanding of the drivers of these changes.