May 6, 2024

Deep Trouble: New Study Reveals Marine Heat Waves Reach the Ocean Floor

” This research is particularly significant as the oceans continue to warm, not just at the surface area but also at depth, affecting marine environment along continental racks,” stated NCAR researcher Clara Deser, a co-author of the study, published in Nature Communications.
The study comes amid issues about the impacts of progressively typical marine heat waves, which can significantly affect the health of ocean communities around the world. About 90% of the excess heat from global warming has been absorbed by the ocean, which has warmed by about 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past century.
For more on this research study, see Heat Waves Happen at the Bottom of the Ocean Too.
Reference: “Bottom marine heatwaves along the continental racks of North America” by Dillon J. Amaya, Michael G. Jacox, Michael A. Alexander, James D. Scott, Clara Deser, Antonietta Capotondi and Adam S. Phillips, 13 March 2023, Nature Communications.DOI: 10.1038/ s41467-023-36567-0.

This visualization depicts bathymetric features of the western Atlantic Ocean Basin, including the continental shelf, recorded by satellite. Credit: NOAAs National Environmental Satellite and Information Service
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