Climate change was almost certainly responsible for a marine heatwave off Tasmania’s east coast in 2015/16 that lasted 251 days and at its greatest extent was seven times the size of Tasmania, according to a new study published today in Nature Communications.
The marine heatwave reduced the productivity of Tasmanian salmon fisheries, led to a rise in blacklip abalone mortality, sparked an outbreak of Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome and saw new fish species move into Tasmanian waters.
At its peak intensity, waters off Tasmania were 2.9°C above expected summertime temperatures.
Lead author from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science (ARCCSS) Dr Eric Oliver said marine heatwave events of this kind were likely to increase in the future because of climate change.
Read more at University of New South Wales
Photo credit: Jakob Owens
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