<
https://www.begadistrictnews.com.au/story/8458191/unusual-marine-heatwave-sweeps-nsw-south-coast/>
'As humans on the South Coast have sweltered through heatwave conditions
recently, the ocean has gone through its own version of the hots.
A marine heatwave has passed south along the coast over the past month and more
are predicted, with sea temperatures forecast to be up to 2.5 degrees warmer
than usual this summer.
After a giant warm eddy formed about 50km off the coast of Sydney, the marine
heatwave for the NSW South Coast was declared by the CSIRO and had produced
temperatures up to 23 degrees in October.
It has since reached waters off Eden on the Far South Coast and into Bass
Strait, and left unseasonably warm waters in its wake for the Illawarra.
Last month it was blamed for the deaths of large numbers of shearwaters which
washed up on the region's beaches.
Ocean dynamics expert Professor Moninya Roughan from the University of NSW said
the coastal waters were warmer than the average for this time of year and had
been up to about 23 degrees.
"That's what a marine heatwave is - it's where the ocean is above the average
for that day," she said.
"It's relative to where you are and what you're experiencing at that point in
time on that day.
"So as we push into December, 22, 23 degrees is not as unusual, but this one
would have started in October and that's what was so unusual."
Professor Roughan said it was likely we would see more marine heatwaves this
summer, and these pose risks to species and habitats that can't escape the
warmer temperatures such as marine plants.
"We're expecting the ocean temperatures to be warm for the whole of the
summer," she said.'
Via
Guardian Australia.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
