Report card shows Australia’s oceans are changing
The report card provides information about the current and predicted-future state of Australia’s marine climate and its impact on our marine biodiversity. The report card also outlines actions that are underway to help our marine ecosystems adapt to climate change.
“Although there are some concerning findings in the 2012 report card, the information we’ve compiled is helping to ensure that ocean managers and policy makers are best placed to respond to the challenge of managing the impact that climate change is having on these systems.”
Dr Elvira Poloczanska, CSIRO
‘Australia has some of the world’s most unique marine ecosystems. They are enjoyed recreationally, generate considerable economic wealth through fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism, and provide irreplaceable services including coastal defence, oxygen production, nutrient recycling and climate regulation,’ Project leader CSIRO’s Dr Elvira Poloczanska said.
‘Although there are some concerning findings in the 2012 report card, the information we’ve compiled is helping to ensure that ocean managers and policy makers are best placed to respond to the challenge of managing the impact that climate change is having on these systems.’
Key findings show
- warming sea temperatures are influencing the distribution of marine plants and animals, with species currently found in tropical and temperate waters likely to move south
- new research suggests winds over the Southern Ocean and current dynamics are strongly influencing foraging of seabirds that breed in south-east Australia and feed close to the Antarctic each summer
- some tropical fish species have a greater ability to acclimatise to rising water temperatures than previously thought
- the Australian science community is widely engaged in research, monitoring and observing programs to increase our understanding of climate change impacts and inform management
- adaptation planning is happening now, from seasonal forecast for fisheries and aquaculture, to climate-proofing of breeding sites for turtles and seabirds.
Led by CSIRO, more than 80 Australian marine scientists from 34 universities and research organisations contributed to the 2012 report card. The report card draws on peer-reviewed research results from hundreds of scientists, demonstrating a high level of scientific consensus.
‘Our knowledge of observed and likely impacts of climate change has greatly advanced since the first card in 2009,’ Dr Poloczanska said.
Aspects of marine climate which have been analysed include changes in sea temperature, sea level, the East Australian Current, the Leeuwin Current, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation.
Marine biodiversity assessed for the report card include impacts on coral reefs; tropical, temperate and pelagic fish; marine mammals; marine reptiles; seabirds; mangroves; tidal wetlands; seagrass; macroalgae; marine microbes; phytoplankton and zooplankton. The two new sections included in the 2012 report card focus on the smallest and largest organisms in the oceans: microbes and whales.
The project has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, through the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility’s Marine Biodiversity and Resources Adaptation Research Network, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and CSIRO’s Climate Adaptation National Research Flagship.
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New research shows sea temperatures will likely warm in the south-east of Australia by >3oC and north-west waters by ~2.5oC by the end of this century. There is investment in regional monitoring as part of the Integrated Marine Ocean Observing System (IMOS) to measure changes in ocean temperatures. Researchers are developing ocean models to project changes in coming decades and there is ongoing development of seasonal forecasting models and applications to support timely adaptation responses by marine users.
Some Giant Kelp species found only in Australia, are at risk of extinction in the next 50-100 years. Integrated Marine Ocean Observing System (IMOS) Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Facility will provide long-term monitoring of water properties and temperate reefs at key locations in Qld, NSW, Tas and WA. Several research projects focusing on climate change and temperate macroalgae are under way. Photo by Graham Blight.
Sea level will continue to rise during the 21st century and beyond, and result in inundation of low-lying coastal regions and coastal recession. Satellite altimeters and the Australian Baseline Sea Level Monitoring Array have provided a comprehensive picture of sea level around the Australian coastline since the early 1990s. Adaptation planning will be informed by national and regional assessments of coastal inundation and recession due to future changes in sea level and wave climate.