Western Australia’s humpback sightings fell 60%; days later, weakened Southern Ocean seabirds appeared thousands of kilometres away on the country’s east coast

Unusual whale and seabird sightings in the Southern Ocean suggest changing ocean conditions. Marine heat waves are affecting waters around Australia and Antarctica. These warming events disrupt food webs and push marine life off course. Limited monitoring hinders understanding of these significant ecosystem shifts. Better long-term data is urgently needed to track these accelerating changes.