How has global warming already impacted Tasmanian ocean ecosystems?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-12-07 11:01

Australia; TAS

Photo by Mike Stevens on Unsplash

Tasmanian ocean ecosystems have seen major change over recent decades as a result of a warming ocean, according to Australian researchers. The team looked at how fish, macroinvertebrates and algae populations have changed over the past 27 years across nearly 100 reef sites. The researchers say these sites have seen an average of 0.8 degrees Celsius of warming in that time, and overall fish biomass increased, macroinvertebrate populations and diversity decreased and algal cover decreased, especially over the last decade.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Warming signals in temperate reef communities following more than a decade of ecological stability

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Summary: Ecosystem structure and function are increasingly threatened by changing climate, with profound effects observed globally in recent decades. Based on standardized visual censuses of reef biodiversity, we describe 27-years of community-level change for fishes, mobile macroinvertebrates and macroalgae in the Tasmanian ocean-warming hotspot. Overall, fish biomass increased, macroinvertebrate species richness and abundance decreased, and macroalgal cover decreased, particularly during the most recent decade. Increased abundances of warm affinity fishes and invertebrates accompanied warming during the most recent decade (+0.68°C rise). Higher abundances of larger fishes and lobsters inside reserves appeared to negate impacts of ‘thermophilization’.

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Journal/
conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Tasmania, CSIRO

Funder: No funding declared.

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