Animals and plants that inhabited the Australian seas fifty years ago have migrated to the colder waters of the Antarctic Ocean due to climate change, according to a study by the Australian research center CSIRO in which 80 scientists participate. The redistribution of tropical marine species could have important consequences.
After three years of work, the researchers have concluded that the causes of migration are thehigher acidity of the seaand thedestruction or bleaching of corals due to increased temperature. The study authors warn that Australia is one of the most vulnerable places to global warming, as evidenced by this exodus of algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish several thousand kilometers to the south, according to the newspaperSydney Morning Herald.
CSIRO marine expert Anthony Richardson stated thatthe oceans absorb 40% of the carbon dioxide and plankton produce half the oxygen we breathe, so sudden changes can have dramatic consequences. “What we know now is that there will be changes that we will not be able to control. We can vary our fishing practices but we cannot do anything with microbes and plankton,” said the scientist.
“Our big concern is that we do not know to what extent productivity in the oceans will change. Microbes produce a large amount of nutrients and recycle much of the pollution we cause,” added Richardson. Global warming, the effect of excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, has also strengthened the ocean currents in eastern Australia, contributing to the migratory flow south.
