This week, the Bureau of Meteorology officially called an El Niño which typically results in devastating drought conditions in Australia. For Australia's seas there could be some positive news.

Since late 2010, Western Australia has experienced abnormally high ocean temperatures including an intense marine 'heatwave'.  Now El Niño conditions have set it in, it means the driving force behind the warm southward flowing Leeuwin Current along Western Australia's west and south coasts has weakened. With a weaker Leeuwin Current and less warm, tropical water being transported this could finally result in some welcome relief to record-breaking ocean temperatures. Read more from this CSIRO ECOS blog.