Waters off Sydney’s coast are currently 3C degrees above normal, two to three months before the usual annual temperature peak, according to new satellite data. Ocean temps have reached record highs for the time of year, with an area of more than 200 square kilometres affected.
In addition to global warming, which has already pushed up background temperatures, the La Niña weather event in the Pacific, which has caused rainy and humid conditions throughout the summer, is pushing warmer waters towards Australia’s Pacific Coast, as well as driving atmospheric systems that are dumping large amounts of warm rain into waterways feeding into the ocean.
While this might make your next dip at the beach a little more balmy than usual, the excessive heat is not good news for marine ecosystems, particularly for animals that prefer colder waters like seals and sharks. The warm waters could also change the typical territories of certain species like whale sharks. Some projections are forecasting that the warming trend could extend further south towards the South Coast of NSW.
Ocean temperatures often lag behind atmospheric conditions, which means the annual peak of Australia’s ocean temps usually hits late February or early March. As a result, the excessively warm waters could continue to heat up over the next eight to 12 weeks.