<
https://theconversation.com/the-great-southern-reef-is-in-more-trouble-than-the-great-barrier-reef-201235>
"Marine heatwaves are damaging reef ecosystems around Australia, but while the
tropical north has received the lion’s share of the attention to date, we
equally need to worry about the temperate south.
That’s partly because the Great Southern Reef is of immense biodiversity value.
Species found here are found nowhere else in the world. Even their distant
relatives are long gone. It’s also because these temperate reefs are suffering
even more from heatwaves than the Great Barrier Reef.
After 30 years counting thousands of marine species on Australian reefs, we
could see the situation was changing rapidly. But our research team wasn’t able
to survey enough locations to adequately track the changes. These occurred out
of sight, beneath the waves, off coastlines extending thousands of kilometres.
We realised we needed help.
So we enlisted the help of enthusiastic volunteer divers to complete the
world’s first continental audit of shallow marine life. This unique Australian
effort was a tremendous collaborative achievement. But it’s nothing compared to
what’s needed in the years to come, to defend our reef ecosystems from the
impacts of climate change and other human pressures."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
