# Southeast Shelf Transition

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The **Southeast Shelf Transition** is a [biogeographic](/source/Biogeography) region of [Australia](/source/Australia)'s coastal and [continental shelf](/source/Continental_shelf) waters. It covers a portion of Australia's southeastern coast, from southern [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales) to eastern [Victoria](/source/Victoria_(Australia)), including the islands of the [Kent Group](/source/Kent_Group) and [Furneaux Group](/source/Furneaux_Group) at the eastern end of the [Bass Strait](/source/Bass_Strait). It is a provincial level bioregion in the [Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia](/source/Integrated_Marine_and_Coastal_Regionalisation_of_Australia) (IMCRA) system, and is a transitional region between the warm temperate [Central Eastern Shelf Province](/source/Central_Eastern_Shelf_Province) to the northeast and the cool temperate [Bass Strait Shelf](/source/Bass_Strait_Shelf_Province) and [Tasmanian Shelf](/source/Tasmanian_Shelf_Province) provinces to the west and south.[1] It corresponds to the **Cape Howe** [marine ecoregion](/source/Marine_ecoregion) in the [WWF](/source/World_Wildlife_Fund)'s Marine Ecoregions of the World system.[2]

## Geography

The Southeast Shelf Province extends along Australia's southeastern coast from south of [Wollongong](/source/Wollongong) in New South Wales to [Wilsons Promontory](/source/Wilsons_Promontory) in Victoria, and south to Cape Portland at Tasmania's northeastern tip, enclosing the [Furneaux](/source/Furneaux_Group) and [Kent](/source/Kent_Group) groups of islands at the eastern end of the [Bass Strait](/source/Bass_Strait). It adjoins the Bass Strait Shelf Province on the southwest, and the Tasmanian Shelf Province on the south. On the east it extends to the edge of the [continental shelf](/source/Continental_shelf).[3]

The transition marks the southernmost influence of the warm [East Australian Current](/source/East_Australian_Current), which brings warmer water as far as the eastern Bass Strait.[3]

### Meso-scale bioregions

The province contains three meso-scale bioregions:[3][1]

- Twofold Shelf
- Batemans Shelf
- Flinders

## Ecology

The biota of the bioregion is dominated by warm temperate species characteristic of the Central Eastern Province, with a smaller number of cool-temperate species from the Bass Strait Shelf and Tasmanian provinces, and a few tropical species from the [Northeast Shelf Province](/source/Northeast_Shelf_Province). There is a major disjunction of species' ranges at [Cape Howe](/source/Cape_Howe), which marks the southernmost range of several warm water species and the northern extent of several cold temperate species.[3]

## References

1. "A Guide to the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia Version 4.0". Department of Environment and Heritage, Government of Australia. June 2006. ISBN 0 642 552274.

1. Wikidata item [Q55877681](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55877681)

1. Thackway R, Cresswell ID (1998), ["Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia: An Ecosystem-based Classification for Marine and Coastal Environments. Version 3.3"](https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/dd0867cf-d8be-40f0-b9e5-7cfa65d6e6b5/files/imcra3-3.pdf), Canberra (Australia): Environment Australia, Commonwealth Department of the Environment

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Southeast Shelf Transition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Shelf_Transition) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Shelf_Transition?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.