In 2011, a marine heatwave hit the west coast of Australia leading to ten days of above average sea temperatures. The area was already known as an ocean warming “hotspot”, but this particular period was a tipping point, causing dramatic changes to the marine ecosystem. Underwater kelp forests along the coast reduced in density by 43%, with some disappearing entirely. Kelp Forest. Image: Fastily, CCBYSA3.0 The loss of kelp resulted in an ecological shift, which led to the growth of different kinds of algae as temperate water species were replaced by subtropical and tropical species. Five years later, kelp forest recovery has still not been observed . A few days of extreme heat resulted in apparently irreversible change. The frequency and intensity of extreme events, like marine heatwaves, are only expected to increase , and their consequences are hard to predict. But while some of these extreme events could be devastating, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Even though huma...
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