Intensification of marine heatwaves and their climate drivers in the Arabian Gulf.

ABSTRACT: Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are extreme sea surface temperature (SST) phenomena that can profoundly impact marine ecosystems but remain largely unexplored in the Arabian Gulf. We use a high resolution satellite SST and atmospheric reanalysis datasets to perform an extensive study of spatial and temporal variations of MHWs and their potential driving factors. Significant positive trends in MHW days, duration, and frequency are observed, particularly in the southeastern Gulf and the Sea of Oman during the summer. The Gulf experienced an increase of 0.6 MHW days/yr with an increasing intensity of [Formula: see text]C/yr in summer while summer SST also shows an increase of [Formula: see text]C/yr, indicating a notable warming trend. The first two EOF modes explain 80% of MHW variability, showing a

SUBMITTER: Paradan AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12494777 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature