d23bea61-d167-444f-ba88-2a6e3674db8e urn:uuid eng UTF-8 nonGeographicDataset nonGeographicDataset 2025-06-23T15:39:51 creation ISO 19115 2016 NSW Macrocystis rafting d23bea61-d167-444f-ba88-2a6e3674db8e Out-of-range observations of significant rafts of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) washing ashore in southern NSW in winter 2020. On 9 August 2020, two local marine naturalists on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia noticed a significant amount of a large unfamiliar kelp washed up on a local beach. Following some quick confirmations via phone and email, it was revealed that the unfamiliar seaweed was giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera): a species whose closest known populations are ~450 km away to the south (in Tasmania and western Victoria) and whose transport to New South Wales would have required oceanic rafting over several weeks and hundreds of kilometres against the prevailing south-flowing East Australian Current. Subsequent community-led searches over the following days confirmed four more locations of often-substantial amounts of giant kelp wrack, as well as many more anecdotal and unconfirmed accounts. {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[149.83509186690125, -37.134132494242145], [150.14270905440122, -37.134132494242145], [150.14270905440122, -36.56271107450999], [149.83509186690125, -36.56271107450999], [149.83509186690125, -37.134132494242145]]]} 149.83509186690125 150.14270905440122 -37.134132494242145 -36.56271107450999 East Australian Current Macrocystis pyrifera Temperate Reef kelp raft ORCID ID documentDigital HTML ORCID ID documentDigital HTML ORCID ID documentDigital HTML Unnamed resource documentDigital HTML Unnamed resource documentDigital License Graphic PNG Unnamed resource documentDigital HTML