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Scientists Reveal What Drove 2023's Record-Smashing North Atlantic Marine Heat Wave
- During the summer of 2023, the North Atlantic Ocean experienced an unprecedented marine heatwave, with sea temperatures rising faster than ever recorded.
- The heatwave resulted from record-breaking weak winds in June and July combined with increased solar radiation amid ongoing climate change.
- The upper ocean layer thinned to about 10 meters in some areas, half its usual depth of 20 to 40 meters, which accelerated surface warming.
- By summer 2023, basin-averaged warming reached 1.4°C above normal, nearly doubling the 2010 record, with Prof. England saying it equaled two decades of warming.
- The heatwave fueled Hurricane Idalia, caused deadly European heatwaves, coral bleaching, and suggests marine heatwaves will worsen with costly ecosystem impacts.
17 Articles
17 Articles
A huge area of ocean – four times the size of Europe – was hit by an unprecedented marine heatwave last year.
The sea temperature wave in the North Atlantic Ocean in 2023 was caused by weak winds and solar radiation. Both factors are the result of global warming and can become more common.
Exceptional atmospheric conditions in June 2023 generated a northwest European marine heatwave which contributed to breaking land temperature records
The Northwest European shelf experienced unprecedented surface temperature anomalies in June 2023 (anomalies up to 5 °C locally, north of Ireland). Here, we show the shelf average underwent its longest recorded category II marine heatwave (16 days). With state-of-the-art observation and modelling capabilities, we show the marine heatwave developed quickly due to strong atmospheric forcing (high level of sunshine, weak winds, tropical air) and we…
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