Global warming drives a threefold increase in persistence and 1 °C rise in intensity of marine heatwaves

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Marcos, Marta; Amores, Angel; Agulles, Miguel; Robson, Jon; Feng, Xiangbo
• 署名单位: Universitat de les Illes Balears; Universitat de les Illes Balears; University of Reading; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Natural Environment Research Council (NERC); NERC National Centre for Atmospheric Science
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-14308
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2413505122
• 发表日期: 2025-04-22
• 关键词: climate; IMPACT

摘要

Marine heatwaves are extreme climatic events consisting of persistent periods of warm ocean waters that have profound impacts on marine life. These episodes are becoming more intense, longer, and more frequent in response to anthropogenic global warming. Here, we provide a comprehensive and quantitative assessment on the role of global warming on marine heatwaves. To do so, we construct a counterfactual version observed global sea surface temperatures since 1940, corresponding to a stationary climate without the effect of long-term increasing global temperatures, and use it calculate the contribution of global air temperature rise on the intensity and persistence of marine heatwaves. We determine that global warming is responsible for nearly half of these extreme events and that, on a global average, it has led to a three-fold increase the number of days per year that the oceans experience extreme surface heat conditions. We also show that global warming is responsible for an increase of 1 degrees C in the maximum intensity of the events. Our findings highlight the detrimental role that human-induced global warming plays on marine heatwaves. This study supports the need for mitigation and adaptation strategies to address these threats to marine ecosystems.