Understanding the influence of climate on ocean communities
Hear first-hand from three marine scientists researching the impacts of climate change on our ocean communities in this webinar held live on 6 March.
Presentations shared insight into:
- Mass coral bleaching events and global declines in coral growth and health driven by ocean warming
- The proliferation of sea urchins and overgrazing of kelp forests in Tasmania and Northeastern NZ influenced by rising ocean temperatures and overfishing
- Changing flatback turtle sex ratios, hatchling survival rates & migration routes with increasing air & ocean temperatures
Check out the recording of our live webinar here:
Topics & Speakers
Changing climate, changing corals
Dr. Kay Davis, Research scientist
Dr. Davis is a scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s Indian Ocean Maritime Research Centre. Her research investigates the consequences of climate change on coral reef ecosystems. Her presentation highlighted the importance of coral reefs for marine biodiversity and how they are threatened by increasing ocean temperatures. Ocean warming causes coral bleaching, a process where symbiotic algae within coral are evicted, causing the coral to starve and lose their colour. She revealed how mass coral bleaching events are becoming more frequent and intense with climate change and how coral growth rates are projected to hit 0 by 2055.
Sea urchin overgrazing driven by our warming ocean
Dr. Arie Spyksma, Postdoctoral researcher
Dr. Spyksma is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Auckland’s Institute of Marine Science. His research focuses on understanding how ocean warming drives the overgrazing of kelp forests by sea urchins. Dr. Spyksma explained how warming ocean temperatures are causing kelp forests to decline worldwide and are contributing to the proliferation of Centrostephanus rodgersii, the long spined sea urchin, in Tasmania and Northeastern New Zealand. Increasing populations of this species, have led to overgrazing of kelp forests, shifting these ecosystems to a barren state that is difficult to restore.
Hotter sands spell a new future for flatbacks
Dr Sabrina Fossette, Senior Research Scientist
Dr. Fossette is a senior research scientist for the North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program at Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Her research focuses on how warming sand temperatures are impacting flatback turtle hatchling success and sex ratios in Western Australia. Warmer incubation temperatures within turtle nests cause more eggs to develop as females, and temperatures above a certain threshold inhibit successful hatching. This could cause an imbalance in the proportion of female to male turtles and a decline in flatback turtle populations. Warmer ocean temperatures will also lead to changes in ocean currents, which may cause turtle hatchlings to drift to new areas and alter their migration routes.