There’s a huge invisible forest in the blue waters off the South coast of Australia that needs our help. Learn more by diving into a world of giant kelp on Google Arts & Culture.
Dec 05, 2024
Celebrating the Giant Kelp Forests of the Great Southern Reef
This Doodle honors Australia’s giant kelp forests of the Great Southern Reef — the endangered natural wonder stretches more than 8,000 kilometers below Australia.
This Doodle’s Key Themes
About the Doodle
About Celebrating the Giant Kelp Forest of the Southern Reef
This Doodle celebrates the giant kelp forests of the Great Southern Reef, which spans across the southern coasts of Australia and Tasmania. On this day in 2019, the Great Southern Reef was officially named a new Hope Spot by Mission Blue.
When most people think of reefs, they probably picture tropical coral reefs — like the Great Southern Reef’s world-famous neighbor, the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Southern Reef stretches more than 8,000 kilometers below Australia. Its system of rocky reefs is connected by kelp, a fast-growing seaweed with a leaf-like appearance. Kelp thrives in cold, slow-moving water and provides shelter for sea-floor animals like stingrays, spider crabs, and rock lobsters.
The Great Southern Reef’s beautiful ecosystem attracts Scuba divers and ocean enthusiasts from around the world. The changing climate is the greatest threat to this natural wonder. The reef sits atop two areas where the ocean has warmed at an incredibly high rate. Marine restoration efforts are underway, including a method called upscaling: creating self-sustaining seed patches that grow where kelp once was.
Here's to preserving this natural wonder!
Google Arts and Culture
Where this Doodle appeared
The Doodle Celebrating the Giant Kelp Forests of the Great Southern Reef launched Dec 05, 2024
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