Global marine heatwaves set records for intensity, extent and duration in 2023. (Photo: Zhenzhong Zeng)
Global marine heatwaves in 2023 were the strongest, most intense, and longest on record, according to a new study. Scientists suggest that these heatwaves were driven by climate change and may signal the beginning of a key moment in its evolution.
Global marine heat waves (GMHWs) are long periods of unexpectedly high ocean temperatures. Such periods can pose serious threats to marine ecosystems, leading to coral bleaching and mass mortality of marine organisms, and cause economic hardship through damage to fisheries and aquaculture. Although it is widely recognized that anthropogenic climate change makes GMHWs more destructive, knowledge of the ocean dynamics that underlie these events remains limited.
“Marine heatwaves are one of the most serious threats to marine ecosystems around the world,” Ryan Walter, an oceanographer at Cal Poly who was not involved in the study, told Live Science.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
