Anthropogenic forcing drives equatorward migration of heatwave locations across continents.

ABSTRACT: Heatwaves have increased in frequency, intensity, duration, and spatial extent, posing a serious threat to socioeconomic development, natural ecosystems and human health worldwide. Assessments of trends in heatwave locations (HWL) have been hindered by the distinct regional characteristics of heatwaves across continents. Here we identify a consistent striking equatorward migration in the average latitudinal location of heatwaves occurrence over the period 1979-2023 based on various datasets. The trends of HWL in each hemisphere illustrate equatorward migration at a rate of approximately one degree of latitude per decade, which falls well into the extent of the estimated rate in the observed intertropical convergence zone contraction and the contrast in soil moisture between tropics and sub

SUBMITTER: Feng J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12405513 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature