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RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.

Coastal studies at Heard Island 1992/93: Changes in sea surface temperature and coastal landforms

Papers & Reports

Summary

Sea temperature was measured weekly at Spit Bay, Heard Island, from April 1992 to March 1993. Temperatures were generally higher than those recorded in 1949 (at Atlas Cove), but these sites are not strictly comparable. Sea temperatures around Heard Island were stable from the 1920s to the 1940s, with a general increase in sea surface temperatures in the region being a recent phenomenon accompanied by widespread glacial retreat and the accelerated erosion of coastal features since the early 1950s. There is an area of active erosion by both water and wind in an arc from Winston Lagoon on the southeastern coast through to the northeastern coast at Compton Lagoon. This is most likely an effect of the loss of glaciers allowing strong erosive water movement along the coast. Movements of this dynamic coastline have important implications for long-term monitoring studies and for the management of the island.

 

Keywords:

Royal Society of Tasmania, RST, Van Diemens Land, natural history, science, ecology, taxonomy, botany, zoology, geology, geography, papers & proceedings, Australia, UTAS Library

Acknowledgement of Country

The Royal Society of Tasmania acknowledges, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, and the ongoing custodianship of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. The Society pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that Tasmanian Aboriginal Peoples have survived severe and unjust impacts resulting from invasion and dispossession of their Country. As an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, the Royal Society of Tasmania recognises Aboriginal cultural knowledge and practices and seeks to respect and honour these traditions and the deep understanding they represent.

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On 15 February 2021, the Royal Society of Tasmania offered a formal Apology to the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.