Australia's Giant Kelp Forests In Trouble

[hatrack]

"'Forests' of giant kelp off the coast of Australia are at risk of extinction due to a major change to coastal ecosystems, according to a leaked report. Two-thirds of the kelp forests along the east coast of the Australian island of Tasmania have disappeared in the past 50 years, with over 90% lost in some places, says a report by marine ecologist Dr Karen Edyvane commissioned by Environment Australia.

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Individual giant kelp plants can grow up to 30 metres tall and the forests are not only a tourist attraction, they provide a vital habitat for marine life, notably rock lobster and abalone fisheries, she said.

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Edyvane's report details how a combination of hungry sea urchins, pollution and climate change has slashed the area of giant kelp forests. Sea urchins are having a severe impact. They are normally passive grazers of algae but when ocean waters warm up, as in El Nino events, urchins graze kelp instead.

The report says there was a 1.5 to 2°C rise in minimum sea-surface temperatures on Tasmania's east coast between 1944 and 1999. Kelp cannot survive or reproduce in waters above 20°C."

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http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s987401.htm

[mmm]

1. water warms up, sea urchins switch from algae to kelp

it is very interesting, watching the unforseen change
brought on by Global Warming.