CSIRO has declared a marine heatwave for the NSW south coast and further Marine heatwaves are expected along the NSW coast, with sea temperatures forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology to be up to 2.5°C warmer than normal this summer.
The NSW Government in collaboration with key agencies and stakeholders has developed a response plan that includes:
- Early Warning System – monitoring to detect physical and biological impacts and the onset of heatwaves;
- Incident Response – establishing a structure to implement a response and coordinate the processes;
- Management Actions – activities that could be used to boost resilience and promote recovery; and,
- Communication Strategy – early and regular communication to ensure consistent, credible and accurate information is communicated about events, responses and recovery.
Recent community wellbeing surveys of coastal residents, visitors and youth conducted under the Marine Estate Management Strategy show that passing on a healthy coast to future generations is perceived as the most important aspect for managing the marine estate, while loss of natural habitats and climate change were identified as key threats to community values derived from marine estates.
A range of research programs as well as climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation strategies are currently underway through initiative 3 of the Marine Estate Management Strategy.
Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said:
Understanding, monitoring and managing the impacts of marine heatwaves will be a priority for the NSW Government over the coming months and years.
We know our oceans are warming, but it’s not just an increase in mean ocean temperatures that we need to be concerned about, we also need to plan and prepare for more frequent temperature extremes.
Marine heatwaves can negatively impact a range of species and key habitats that can’t escape the warmer temperatures.
In addition to increased long-term monitoring programs outlined in the response plan, NSW DPI are also undertaking pioneering research to increase resilience to changing ocean climate conditions.
This plan will ensure we have the right measures in place to prepare and respond to these extreme weather events over the coming years.
Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast Ryan Park said:
Marine heatwaves have been expected across the south-eastern coast of Australia this 2023/24 summer as warming oceans are making marine heatwaves hotter, longer and more frequent.
The NSW Government in collaboration with key agencies and stakeholders has developed a response plan to increase marine monitoring to better understand the impact of such events.
Early detection is vital to managing our marine environments and ensure a healthy coast line is passed on to future generations.
