Uuprecedented heat in the Tasman Sea

This interview with climate scientist Jim Salinger and zoologist Alison Balance provides a good description of the "heatwave" in the Tasman Sea while ignoring the bigger picture.

This is about as good as it gets with RNZ.

The Tasman Sea's marine heatwave

If you've jumped in the sea this summer and found it to be a surprisingly warm temperature that's because the Tasman Sea is currently going through a "marine heatwave".

Since November the water has been more than 2 degrees above average...in fact it's been the warmest ever in records going back to 1900, for December at least.

And while that feels great for beachgoers, it's not great for ocean species - extreme systems like this can have a profound affect on marine ecosystems.

Simon Morton speaks to climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger and Our Changing World's Alison Ballance