Emeritus Professor Patrick De Deckker - ‘Marine heat waves, the “secret killer” in our oceans’

Patrick, from the ANU, will discuss alarming temperature increases near the surfaces of oceans, that affect entire ecosystems; such as the vanishing kelp forests offshore Tasmania and the many organisms that thrive in among kelp. This change is not only in Australia, but world-wide.

Abstract

As a result of significant changes in the oceans bordering Australia, and in particular the alarming temperature increases near the surface, entire ecosystems have already been affected. These will be discussed.

Patrick will also detail the findings over the last decade of the vanishing kelp forests offshore Tasmania, and how this has also affected many organisms that normally thrive in among kelp. This change is not restricted to the Australian oceans, it is a worldwide phenomenon!

Biography

Emeritus Professor Patrick De Deckker is at the Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University. Patrick is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Originally from Belgium, Patrick arrived in Australia about 50 years ago where he continued his university education in geology, micro-palaeontology and zoology at several institutions. He has been at ANU since 1981 except for 2 years at Monash and has worked on salt lakes, their biota and geological history, plus on the evolution of the oceans in our region related to climate changes and on airborne dust (a topic which he presented to the Friends of the ANBG a couple of years ago).

Bookings open on 25 July at https://www.trybooking.com/DANDC