Sharjah24 - Reuters: According to scientists, climate change, the meteorological phenomena La Nina, and a string of high pressure systems are all to blame for the warmer-than-average waters surrounding New Zealand's South Island, which may reach 6 degrees Celsius (42.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal.
Metservice oceanographer Joao de Souza, who is part of the Moana Project, said that waters around the southern South Island were all well above normal for this time of year with temperatures in Fiordland 6 degrees warmer than normal.
The Moana Project said that water temperatures on the West Coast of the South Island are currently 4 degrees above average.
These temperatures are going to have significant consequence for an eco system that is built or adapted to cold waters, he said.
"There are always going to be winners and losers," he said, with those marine species that can't shift location likely to be more impacted.
New Zealand saw a number marine heatwaves last year with a previous heatwave in Fiordland resulting in severe bleaching of native sponges. There have also been anecdotes of species more common in warmer waters of New Zealand being spotted further south.
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