By Vasinatta Yama EM TV News, Port Moresby
While many are feeling the effects of El Nino on land, there’s a chance that climate change is also affecting plants in the ocean.
In recent weeks, the popular beach front of Port Moresby’s Ela Beach has been covered with seaweed, that’s taken on a peculiar colour.
According to a group of mothers who clean at the beach in the mornings and at noon, the seaweed has completely covered the sand.
It’s an unusual sight and makes it look like carpet rolled over sand.
They said that usually when seaweed washes ashore, it’s on a significantly smaller scale and has a greenish-brown colour.
But this time, it is lime-green in colour and is a much larger haul being washed ashore.
According to the Office of Climate Change, this sort of activity could happen naturally or otherwise.
Sometimes it may occur following a change in weather pattern and temperature change, or the seaweed has reached its normal height.
However, the heavy deposit can also mean pollution caused by developments going on at sea.
When EMTV interviewed local fishermen off camera, they explained that the depositing of seaweed signifies that the sea surface is getting warmer, which allows the fish to swim into the deeper cold area to breed.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=xSN1d2sW7QQ%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
