SPECIES of fish, coral and other invertebrates are moving south along the West Australian coastline as a result of warmer sea currents, driving ecological change, writes Science Network WA. Read the full story here.
Snails aren’t best known for moving at anything faster than, well, a snail’s pace. Yet out in the oceans, a seismic shift in the ranges of species seems to be gathering pace, with snails and their relatives at the vanguard.
This edition reviews the Redmap data - including the Top 10 species logged on Redmap! Also read about molluscs on the move, the tropicalisation of Sydney Harbour and amusing names given to fish. Read the October Redmap newsletter.
Between December 2010 and April 2011, sea temperatures off the WA coast reached 3C above average, and for two weeks peaked at 5C above average, write researchers from the University of Western Australia and Florida International University in WA Today. The effects were drastic. Corals bleached, and the makeup of the usually temperate south west marine ecosystems shifted to more tropical. Read the full article in WA Today …
We’d like to think scientists take the naming of marine species quite seriously, but…this is not always the case. Here are some of the more amusing (and sometimes outrageous) names given to sea life.
While the the idea of having a tropical reef on Sydney's doorstep sounds attractive, the reality is that climate change is not good news for the temperate reefs and life of Sydney's Harbour. Read the full story published on The Conversation here.
Corals along the WA coast have struggled in unusually warm sea temperatures during 2011-13. The University of Western Australia study concluded corals experienced reduced growth rates despite looking healthy, writes Kerry Faulkner on ScienceNetwork WA. Read the full story here.
Throughout the months of May and June each year, the otherwise rarely sighted slender sunfish (Ranzania laevis) have a tendency to strand themselves along Western Australia’s south coast but is this phenomena becoming more frequent?
THOUSANDS of bluebottles have washed up on a Gold Coast beach... sparking warnings for families enjoying the first week of the school holidays, writes the Courier Mail. Read the full article here.
Tiny marine algae can evolve fast enough to cope with climate change in a sign that some ocean life may be more resilient than thought to rising temperatures and acidification, a study showed - writes the Sydney Morning Herald. Read the full story here.
