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

Western Australia humpback whale sightings fell 60% below normal in late June during northward migration.

Days later, weakened albatrosses and petrels appeared on Australia's east coast, thousands of kilometres from their usual Southern Ocean feeding grounds.

Marine heat waves have affected waters around Heard Island and McDonald Islands since February, extending toward Antarctica's sea ice.

Another marine heat wave has lingered in the southern Tasman Sea since at least April.

Limited monitoring hinders understanding of these ecosystem shifts; better long-term data is needed to track accelerating changes.