Ocean Heat Waves Exist – And They’re Deadly

In 2011, substantially heated water crashed into the shores and reefs on the coast of West Australia.

The devastation endured by local kelp forests is still visible today.

Kelp forests provide shelter and food to Australia’s vibrant sea life, but they require particular temperatures and conditions to thrive.

The 2011 wave was nearly 36.5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than typical ocean water. When this water carrying this heat came into contact with kelp forests, the devastation was catastrophic.

According to a study published in the research journal Science, up to 62 miles of kelp forest have been wiped out with little to no signs of recovery.

Before and after the heat wave.

Image Credit: J. Costa / phys.org

The warmer waters hurt the kelp severely, threatening its ability to regrow. This effect was then compounded by the arrival of plant-eating fish that began to eat whatever kelp started to emerge from the sea floor.

To spare non-scientist from reading the entire study, Science summed up the study thusly:

Ecosystems over time have endured much disturbance, yet they tend to remain intact, a characteristic we call resilience… Wernburg et al. show that extreme warming of a temperate kelp forest off Australia resulted not only in its collapse, but also in a shift in community composition that brought about an increase in herbivorous tropical fishes that prevent the reestablishment of kelp. Thus, many systems may not be resilient to the rapid climate change that we face.

Ecosystems typically adjust for changes in environment, but this wave altered the environment so drastically that the kelp forest’s ability to regrow (its resiliency) was severely limited.

This has implications for life above the water as well. In an additional piece written for phys.org, three of the researchers explained:

Kelp forests are the GSR’s “biological engine”, feeding a globally unique collection of temperate marine species, not to mention supporting some of the most valuable fisheries in Australia and underpinning reef tourism worth more than $10 billion a year.

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix for this quandary. Further research must be conducted and additional resources must be spent. Hopefully the people of Australia can band together and save their kelp from the fallout of the heat wave.