With a marine heatwave underway off the NSW south coast, Victorian coast and east coast of Tasmania, the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted sea temperatures could reach 2.5 degrees above average this summer which would wreak havoc on fragile kelp ecosystems.
Kelp forests cover one third of the world's coastlines, are vital to ocean food chains and the life cycle of hundreds of aquatic species, including species in some of our major fisheries. Despite this they're largely missing from international environmental governance regimes. CSIRO also has this information on the current marine heatwave.
Kelp forests are a key part of the Great Southern Reef, a huge series of reefs along Australia's southern coastline. The Great Southern Reef media hub has quotes from experts and broadcast quality vision and high-res images available to journalists through its Great Southern Reef media hub. An interview with marine biologist Dr Scott Bennett is also available on this link for use on broadcast TV news (direct
