Minderoo-UWA Marine Heatwaves Workshop 2021
9.00am – 1.15pm, 19 August 2021
Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre
Free tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/minderoo-uwa-marine-heatwaves-workshop-tickets-157890902941

About this event
Sea surface temperatures on the West Australian coast were up to 2.5 °C warmer than average in the northwest in December of 2020 and 3 °C warmer than average in the central west in January this year. Although unlikely to reach the severity of the heatwaves in 2011, monthly forecasts for March and April still suggest considerably warmer-than-average conditions down the WA coast.
In this workshop, we bring together researchers from multiple disciplines to share emerging data on the 2021 heatwave event, discuss the effects on ecosystems, populations and industries, as well as explore preparedness in the face of future heatwave events.

Session 1 – Keynote Speakers
• Claire Spillman (Bureau of Meteorology)- Using seasonal forecasts to inform stakeholders during the 2021 West Australian marine heatwave
• Peter Rive (Aqualink) – Tracking of heatwaves worldwide: the Aqualink story

Session 2 – Marine Heatwaves Background
• Ming Feng (CSIRO) – Large-scale climate drivers of the marine heatwaves and cold spells off the west coast of Australia
• Chari Pattiaratchi (UWA) – TBC
• Mike Cuttler (UWA) – Real-time, in situ monitoring of waves and water temperature along WA
• Fabio Boschetti (CSIRO) – Statistical prediction of marine heatwaves via machine learning
• Matt Rayson (UWA) – Sub-surface observations of ocean heat content off Northern Australia during 2020-2021

Session 3 – Potential Impacts
• Ryan Lowe (UWA) – Ocean drivers of reef-scale heat budgets: implications for coral bleaching
• Nicole Ryan (AIMS)- Western Australian Coral Bleaching Group
• Claire Ross (DBCA)- DBCA long-term monitoring of seawater temperature and benthic habitats
• Thomas Wernberg (UWA) – Ecological impacts of marine heatwaves
• Nick Caputi (DPIRD)- The effect of marine heatwaves on fisheries in Western Australia
• Priscilla Goncalves (Minderoo) – Harnessing environmental DNA for long-term biomonitoring of marine heatwave hotspots

Session 4 – Group discussion