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NSW Macrocystis rafting

Created 12/03/2025

Updated 12/03/2025

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Out-of-range observations of significant rafts of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) washing ashore in southern NSW in winter 2020. On 9 August 2020, two local marine naturalists on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia noticed a significant amount of a large unfamiliar kelp washed up on a local beach. Following some quick confirmations via phone and email, it was revealed that the unfamiliar seaweed was giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera): a species whose closest known populations are ~450 km away to the south (in Tasmania and western Victoria) and whose transport to New South Wales would have required oceanic rafting over several weeks and hundreds of kilometres against the prevailing south-flowing East Australian Current. Subsequent community-led searches over the following days confirmed four more locations of often-substantial amounts of giant kelp wrack, as well as many more anecdotal and unconfirmed accounts.

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Title NSW Macrocystis rafting
Language eng
Licence notspecified
Landing Page https://devweb.dga.links.com.au/data/dataset/d3b86c0c-fd4a-4b7e-ae79-54a438387446
Contact Point
CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere
cayne.layton@utas.edu.au
Reference Period 11/08/2020 - 14/08/2020
Geospatial Coverage {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[149.83509186690125, -37.134132494242145], [150.14270905440122, -37.134132494242145], [150.14270905440122, -36.56271107450999], [149.83509186690125, -36.56271107450999], [149.83509186690125, -37.134132494242145]]]}
Data Portal data.gov.au