Ocean heatwave destroys Tasmania’s unique underwater jungle

Kelp forests in Tasmania
 can grow up to 45m tall.

It was one of Australia’s great marine ecosystems; a must-see spectacular on many divers’ lists, sheltering a multitude of fish, algae and crustaceans.

A natural wonder, which this year was smashed into oblivion by a massive underwater heatwave.

This is not the Great Barrier Reef, but its southern equivalent; an underwater jungle that in the middle of last century ran 250 kilometres along Tasmania’s east coast. The trees, up to 45m tall, were Macrocystis pyrifera – giant kelp – the world’s largest seaweed.

Read the ClimateHome story - “Ocean heatwave destroys Tasmania’s unique underwater jungle.”