It is possible to close the sea level rise budget, but we can’t estimate the underlying processes, such as ocean mixing or how sunlight penetrates into the deep ocean. This study estimates the size of these processes and how well we know them. It turns out we don’t know them very well, or how they will change in the future. This should worry us and we need to do more ocean observations to improve our understanding how these processes will change and impact future sea level rise.

The East Australian Current (EAC) plays an important role in the marine ecosystem and climate of the region. To understand the EAC regime and the inner shelf dynamics, we implement the variational approach to produce the first multi-year coastal radar dataset (2012–2023) in this region. The validated data allows for a comprehensive investigation of the EAC dynamics. This dataset will be useful for understanding the complex EAC regime and its far-reaching impacts on the shelf environment.

We present new datasets that are useful for exploring extreme ocean temperature events in Australian coastal waters. These datasets span multiple decades, starting from the 1940s and 1950s, and include observations from the surface to the bottom at four coastal sites. The datasets provide valuable insights into the intensity, frequency and timing of extreme warm and cold temperature events and include event characteristics such as duration, onset and decline rates and their categorisation.

We estimate subsurface linear and non-linear temperature trends at five coastal sites adjacent to the East Australian Current (EAC). We see accelerating trends at both 34.1 and 42.6 °S and place our results in the context of previously reported trends, highlighting that magnitudes are depth-dependent and vary across latitude. Our results indicate the important role of regional dynamics and show the necessity of subsurface data for the improved understanding of regional climate change impacts.

We studied the long-term mean flow through the Marsdiep tidal inlet in the Dutch Wadden Sea. We found that this flow, which is important for sediment, salt and nutrient balances, is reversing from net outflow to inflow. We hypothesise changes in tides in the North Sea caused this, due to increased stratification in response to global warming. Hence, we expect permanent inflow conditions within 1 decade, with potential effects on the sediment balance and the ecosystem of this World Heritage Site.