Bottom marine heatwaves along the continental shelves of North America.

ABSTRACT: Recently, there has been substantial effort to understand the fundamental characteristics of warm ocean temperature extremes-known as marine heatwaves (MHWs). However, MHW research has primarily focused on the surface signature of these events. While surface MHWs (SMHW) can have dramatic impacts on marine ecosystems, extreme warming along the seafloor can also have significant biological outcomes. In this study, we use a high-resolution (~8 km) ocean reanalysis to broadly assess bottom marine heatwaves (BMHW) along the continental shelves of North America. We find that BMHW intensity and duration varies strongly with bottom depth, with typical intensities ranging from ~0.5 °C-3 °C. Further, BMHWs can be more intense and persist longer than SMHWs. While BMHWs and SMHWs often co-occur, BMHWs

SUBMITTER: Amaya DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10011364 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature