Climate Experience:
Locals discovered a massive fish die off on Mallacoota beaches; thousands of fish were counted along with numerous sea urchins and some penguins.
Explanation:
- An upwelling causes a decrease in oxygen level in the water and creates toxins, these factors can cause a kill offs.[1]
- Changes to the East Australian Current (EAC) contributed to a stronger than usual upwelling, the EAC runs further south than it used to and is more intense.[2]
- The East Australian Current has extended 350kms south since the 1940s.[3]
Ramifications:
What can be done?
- Email your local MP and tell them that action on climate is important to you and explain the impacts being felt in your area. One email might not feel like much but most politicians consider it to be representative of 100 citizens.
- Help support the Act on Climate collective by donating; we are leading the charge for climate action. Your donation helps in advancing policies that prevent climate change from getting worse, we aim to empower communities and build a strong pro-climate-action constituency that governments can’t ignore, and as an added bonus it’s tax-deductable.
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* We aim to keep our material as accurate and as relevant as possible. Working with climate science, a field that is being constantly updated, keeps us on our toes. Information on this site was gathered on June 1 2019; if you notice information that needs updating please let us know. For the full reference list please see the following.
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[1]“Mallacoota fish death investigation,” Victorian Fisheries Authority, access April 29, 2019, https://vfa.vic.gov.au/operational-policy/pests-and-diseases/mallacoota-fish-death-investigation
[2]“Things warm up as the East Australian Current heads south,” The Conversation, published November 21, 2014, http://theconversation.com/things-warm-up-as-the-east-australian-current-heads-south-31889
[3]“Tropical fish head south for a feast,” Climate Watch, published August 7, 2014, http://www.climatewatch.org.au/news/tropical-fish-head-south-for-a-feast
[4]Vergés et al., “The Tropicalization of Temperate Marine Ecosystems: Climate-Mediated Changes in Herbivory and Community Phase Shifts.”8.