The outlook over the coming months was for sea surface temperatures over the reef to remain above average until the end of the current forecast period – December. Temperatures for June over the reef were the 12th highest on record for that month. “So if everything needs more food, that puts a strain on the whole ecosystem,” she said.ĭr Grant Smith, an oceanographer and researcher at the Bureau of Meteorology, said temperatures were more than 1C above average for this time of year over large portions of the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. Prof Jodie Rummer, a marine biologist and fish expert at James Cook University, said marine heatwaves raised the metabolic rate of fish. If don’t cool enough, the pathogens can remain virulent and we could see an uptick in coral disease.” In winter disease pathogens usually become more dormant.

“Usually a warmer temperature would mean an increase in disease in corals. While there was no risk of corals bleaching in this heatwave, there were concerns it could increase outbreaks of coral disease in the coming months. There’s bound to be impacts to animals and plants because of these warmer temperatures.”ĭr Jessica Stella, the assistant director of reef health at GBRMPA, said there was still an element of the unknown about the effects of a heatwave in winter, when overall temperatures are cooler than in the summer. The NOAA data goes back to 1981.Įxperts said the impacts of marine heatwaves in the winter are less dramatic than in summer, when they can damage or kill corals and underwater forests of kelp and seagrass.ĭr Alex Sen Gupta, an associate professor at the UNSW Climate Change Research Centre and marine heatwave expert, said: “If you look globally, we’re seeing more marine heatwaves now than we have ever seen before. The Bureau of Meteorology briefed the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) about the raised ocean temperatures on Friday.Ī marine heatwave happens when temperatures over an area are in the hottest 10% ever recorded for that time of year and then stay there for at least five days. A map indicating Australian waters experiencing a marine heatwave.

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