Seaweed records show impact of ocean warming
As the planet continues to warm, it appears that seaweeds may be in especially hot water. New findings reported online on October 27 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, based on herbarium records collected in Australia since the 1940s suggest that up to 25 percent of temperate seaweed species living there could be headed to extinction. The study helps to fill an important gap in understanding about the impact that global warming is having on the oceans, the researchers say.
“Our findings add an important piece in the puzzle that is determining the global impacts of climate change,” said Thomas Wernberg of the University of Western Australia.
“We found that temperate seaweed communities have changed over the past 50 years to become increasingly subtropical, and that many temperate species have retreated south towards the Australian south coast. By extending the observed rates of poleward retreat to other species in the southern Australian seaweed flora, we estimated that projected ocean warming could lead to several hundred species retracting south and beyond the edge of the Australian continent, where they will have no suitable habitat and may therefore go extinct.”
The magnitude of the shifts the researchers observed are consistent with patterns of observed warming in those areas.
The findings in Australia represent two of the major global oceans, the Indian and Pacific, Wernberg said. He added that it is also important to have documented these shifts in Australia because the Southern Hemisphere has been substantially underrepresented in climate change studies.
The analyses draw on a very extensive marine database of more than 20,000 records of collected seaweeds. “Importantly, we did not select species based on preconceived ideas about which ones should have shifted or not—we looked at all 1,500 or so species in the southern seaweed flora and analyzed all of those species that had sufficient records.”
The changes observed in the seaweed community could have cascading effects across marine ecosystems, Wernberg said, as seaweeds are the “trees of the ocean,” providing food, shelter, and habitat to a diversity of other species.
“I hope people will appreciate that the threats of climate change to marine environments are not just about exotic tropical coral reefs but also are likely to affect the diversity of life across a much broader spectrum of marine ecosystems,” Wernberg said.
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Will this make it into the next IPCC report or is it just for the consumption of the faithful at Durban?
LOL….if they went the other way…..they would be considered an invasive weed
The article seems meaningless. If there was data that overall plant growth was being harmed it would be meaningful, but who cares what individual types of plants do well?
Seaweed.
More scuba diving “scientists” on the taxpayer’s dollar.
Did all the corals die yet?
And all the fish?
This from the land of artificially altered temperature data. New Zealand boasts the largest fabricated warming on the planet. Prognosticate all they want, but these species simply cannot be doing what they way when we are not warming. Another good example of bad, biased science.
It is disappointing that so many studies in the real world are predicated on the assumption that the globe is warming consistently or even increasingly rapidly.
A good example is the moose in Wisconsin. They see the Southern range of the moose moving North and blame it on hot summer days from global warming. In fact, the moose are under siege by diseases and parasites brought in by the expanding white tailed deer population and normal hot days are enough for a malnourished, weakened moose to succumb. So, it is not the warming, but the other burdens that have increased, particularly since they have been cooling recently. Hot days happen and they just cannot take it.
Aaaaaand multiple huge and lengthy ICE AGES did NOT harm the poor, fragile and delicate eek! OH! logically important kelps? Aaaaaaand 400 years of warmer temperatures in the Medieval Warm Period also did NOT cause them to cease to exist?
FAIL. As usual. And as expected… More money down the infinitely devouring worm-hole of “humans-killing-entire-specie-oh-noes!”…
This is where every geologist on the planet mentions that in the past warmer oceans lead to more, rather that less life. What limits oceanic plant life is nutrients, not temperature..
But what do geologists know. But today is Special. In the past a lifespan was enough to live as well as die. Now there is no time. Now any change is deadly. No change – warmer or colder, is beneficial to anything or anybody. It is all death.
I’d like to pay ten bucks now for a piece of Al Gore’s oceanside house in the year 2075 (I’ll leave this for my grandkids). Since Al knows that we’re doomed, and his house will be underwater, he should jump at the chance. Let’s get 20,000 of the skeptics crowded inside a phonebooth to pitch in 10 bucks each for 1/20,000th of his house. Easy money, Al, even more profitable than your $145,000 lectures. It is your duty to take our money since God has told you how the physical laws of the world are different from the ones we learned in school and the world. Fools should always be quickly parted from their money before they misuse it on gas-guzzling cars or trips on a private jet.
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts oh how happy we’d be!
“…By extending the observed rates of poleward retreat to OTHER [unobserved?] species in the southern Australian seaweed flora, we ESTIMATED that PROJECTED ocean warming COULD lead to several hundred species retracting south and beyond the edge of the Australian continent, where they will have no suitable habitat and MAY therefore go extinct…”
So did they see any of the CURRENT 1500 species go extinct – or are they relying on models again to “…suggest that up to 25 percent of temperate seaweed species living there could be headed to extinction…”
And what SST record did they use? Since they used seaweed records back to the 40’s, shouldn’t they have detailed Southern Hemisphere SST records for the same period?
Kelp is doing fine here, prolific as ever. Really been going wild with the cold ocean the past few years. Even during the strongest El Nino episodes it will never die back all that much.
Adapt .. or die
And in other news, By BRYAN WALSH | Time.com
“So perhaps it’s a measure of the company’s dedication to the environment that Coca-Cola has decided to change the color of its iconic cans for the holiday season — white, to draw attention to the plight of the polar bear. Coke and the environmental group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have joined together to promote the Arctic Home project, which will involve turning 1.4 billion Coke cans white, emblazoned with the image of a mother polar bear and her cubs pawing through the Arctic.” Jeez and I bought a coke tonight, and now to make matters worse my wife has that CNN Piers Morgan on the box. Seaweed extinction, white cola, and Piers – think I’ll get drunk – Oh wait I don’t drink – poor, poor me.
The real threat to Kelp comes in the form of Urchins…
“Sea urchins can “clear-cut” huge areas of kelp forests. Normally, predators keep urchin populations in check. ”
“Australia: In recent years black sea urchins (Centrostephanus rodgersii) have expanded their range and increased in abundance in southern New South Wales, eastern Victoria and Tasmania, said Acting Executive Director of Fisheries Victoria, Travis Dowling.”
“Source: Stateline South Australia
Published: Friday, March 5, 2010 8:46 AEDT
Expires: Thursday, June 3, 2010 8:46 AEDT
Fishermen are struggling to meet quotas as the southern rock lobster catches steadily decline.”
“…urchin grazing on kelp is significantly reduced in areas of high lobster
density…
Back to the drawing board gents!
Doomed again.
I knew it.
No doubt funded by our prime minister to support her new carbon tax.
This hits close to home. One of my favorite foods is hand-rolled sushi. Edamae (roasted seaweed) is what it’s rolled in. I sure hope the species under threat of extinction isn’t that one.
Dave Wendt says:
October 27, 2011 at 11:55 am
“If ifs and buts were candy and nuts oh how happy we’d be!”
Speaking of ifs, buts, candy, and nuts did you hear the one about the little boy dressed up as an old western gunslinger for Halloween? He walks into an ice cream parlor and asks for a chocolate ice cream cone. The girl behind the counter says “Sure, would you like candy sprinkles and nuts on your cone?” The boys “Sure, that sounds right fine little missy”. The the girl asks “Would you like your nuts crushed?”. The little boy draws his six-shooters, aims them at the girl and says “Would you like your butt shot off?”
It’s been known for nearly two centuries that seaweed distributions are controlled by temperature and current regimes. Worries of extinction are grossly overblown because algal macrophytes are extremely prolific and even a small number of plants in refugia could quickly repopulate larger areas.
With a headline like that we will be going to Wrack and ruin.
@higley7 Geography shows NZ to be apart from Australia but with similar Liars in power. The thermometer temperature record duly adjusted for effect, Yes the Kelp are marvellous trappers of energy from the SUN, anyone who has swam in the COOL ocean finds comforting warmth in the Kelp and great fishing as well.
The current state of Climate Science. It’s worse then we thought.
. . . within the next 12.5 billion years. Sooner, if you don’t stop having Wesson parties on your neighbour’s linoleum.
and that many temperate species have retreated south towards the Australian south coast.
=====================
to be replaced by sub-tropical species…..which would have to be retreating south….
…to be replaced by tropical species…which would have to be retreating south
….did they just say the coral reefs are not dying….but expanding??? LOL
I’m not sure, but from the context I think it was Anthony Watts who starts this article with the statement “As the planet continues to warm, it appears that seaweeds may be in especially hot water.”
I thought that one of the credos of those sceptical of Anthropogenic Climate Change is that the global temperature is currently either not rising or is possibly falling slightly. This opening statement indicates the opposite view.
Particularly significant given the previous post re hadcrut showing no oceanic warming.