JUNEAU -- Books about seaweeds aren't a common sight on bookstore shelves, so two local authors took it on themselves to change that.
Specialists Mandy Lindeberg and Sandra Lindstrom have just published "Field Guide to Seaweeds of Alaska." As the subject is something both women share a passion for, a book about the water algae is a logical step.
"It was so nice to be able to do this with Mandy. She has real enthusiasm for seaweeds," Lindstrom said.
The two have worked together for years on projects collecting seaweeds.
Both are quite passionate about these studies. Yet one of their biggest inspirations for the book was the limited exposure to knowledge that's currently available.
They said books just aren't available on the subject and many in Alaska may not realize the species that are present.
Lindeberg said this was a way to expose the world to various seaweeds. This state alone has more than 500 species, she said.
About 100 of those species are described with full-color photographs.
"I took about 80 percent of the photographs," said Lindeberg. "The rest were donated." Some of the photographs came from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Lindstrom said her partner's photography skills added to her aptitude as a co-author.
The authors said identification is a problem.
"I've had lots of people ask me to write about this because they get frustrated trying to identify seaweeds. There's complaining that they're never the way they look in books," Lindeberg said. She hopes the descriptions and photos will help that.
Lindstrom said that, this being a field guide, it's designed to help the layperson pick out species in a natural habitat.
Lindeberg lives in Juneau and is a fisheries research biologist with NOAA. She's been conducting research on seaweeds, intertidal invertebrates, oiled shorelines and bioavailability surveys for 20 years.
Lindstrom does independent research and consulting, identifying seaweeds for environmental surveys. At the University of British Columbia she earned her master's in marine ecology and Ph.D. in botany with a specialty in phycology, the scientific study of algae. She was born and raised in Juneau and now lives in British Columbia.
"I hope people will use it and take it to the beach and learn about seaweeds," Lindeberg said of the book. "I hope they'll want to learn about them like we do."
"Field Guide to Seaweeds of Alaska" is published by the Alaska Sea Grant Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
More information can be found at www.seaweedsofalaska.com.
By JONATHAN GRASS
Juneau Empire