How climate change is impacting Australia's kelp forests. Marine Heatwave consequences

The Great Southern Reef captures two global warming hotspots, where the rate of warming has been in the top 10% globally over the past 5 decades. On the West Coast of Australia over 0.5 ̊ C and in Southeast Australia over 1.2 ̊ C in the recent decades.

In the summer of 2010-11, the West Coast of WA experienced an extreme marine heatwave. Temperatures well above long-term average for around 10 weeks. Gradual warming on the western GSR was punctuated by an unprecedented marine heatwave that saw summer temperatures reach 2–6°C above long-term maxima across almost 2000 km of coastline.

Temperatures were up to 5 ̊C above average for up to 10 weeks. It was the warmest that has been recorded in at least 130 years. 40% of our kelp forests on the west coast were lost during this heatwave. Fish, shellfish and crayfish also suffered severely.