Global Warming Study Links Unprecedented 2023 Ocean Heatwaves to Shifting Climate Dynamics

Marine heatwaves in 2023 reached record-breaking levels in intensity, duration, and global coverage, affecting 96% of the world’s oceans, according to a new study. The findings highlight diverse regional drivers behind these extreme events and suggest they may signal a broader shift in ocean–atmosphere dynamics.

The global marine heatwaves (MHWs) of 2023 were unprecedented in their intensity, persistence, and scale, according to a new study. The findings provide insights into the region-specific drivers of these events, linking them to broader changes in the planet’s climate system. They may also portend an emerging climate tipping point.

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are intense and prolonged episodes of unusually warm ocean temperatures. These events pose severe threats to marine ecosystems, often resulting in widespread coral bleaching and mass mortality events. They also carry serious economic consequences by disrupting fisheries and aquaculture. It’s widely understood that human-driven climate change is driving a rapid increase in the frequency and intensity of MHWs. In 2023, regions across the globe, including the North Atlantic, Tropical Pacific, South Pacific, and North Pacific, experienced extreme MHWs. However, the causes underlying the onset, persistence, and intensification of widespread MHWs remain poorly understood.

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To better understand the MHWs of 2023, Tianyun Dong and colleagues conducted a global analysis using combined satellite observations and ocean reanalysis data, including those from the ECCO2 (Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean-Phase II) high-resolution project. According to the findings, MHWs of 2023 set new records for intensity, duration, and geographic extent, lasting four times the historical average and covering 96 percent of the global ocean surface.

Regionally, the most intense warming occurred in the North Atlantic, Tropical Eastern Pacific, North Pacific, and Southwest Pacific, collectively accounting for 90 percent of the oceanic heating anomalies. Dong et al. show that the North Atlantic MHW, which began as early as mid-2022, persisted for 525 days, while the Southwest Pacific event broke prior records with its vast spatial extent and prolonged duration. What’s more, in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, temperature anomalies peaked at 1.63 °C during the onset of El Niño.

Using a mixed-layer heat budget analysis, the authors discovered diverse regional drivers contributing to the formation and persistence of these events, including increased solar radiation due to reduced cloud cover, weakened winds, and ocean current anomalies. According to the authors, the 2023 MHWs may mark a fundamental shift in ocean–atmosphere dynamics, potentially serving as an early warning of an approaching tipping point in Earth’s climate system.

Original Article: Record-breaking 2023 marine heatwaves; Science; DOI:10.1126/science.adr0910

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