Marine heatwaves are sweeping the seafloor around North America
The HinduHeatwaves unfolding on the bottom of the ocean can be more intense and last longer than those on the sea surface, new research suggests, but such extremes in the deep ocean are often overlooked. A team of scientists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have conducted the first assessment of marine heatwaves along North America's continental shelves. "We simply don't have a ton of instruments on the ocean bottom along continental shelves," said study co-author Dillon Amaya, a NOAA climate scientist. It found that while sometimes a marine heatwave can hit both the sea surface and ocean bottom at the same time, bottom heatwaves can also occur on their own. "It's a little less clear if climate change is strongly impacting bottom marine heatwaves in the same way it would at the surface," Amaya said, saying changes to ocean circulation patterns could also play a role.
History of this topic
It's so hot, heatwaves are underwater
BBC
As seas get hotter, South Florida gets slammed by an ocean heat wave
NPR
Marine heatwaves ‘catastrophic’ for ocean life, say scientists
The IndependentMarine heatwaves rising around India, says study
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