Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency and intensity in global boundary current systems such as the Gulf Stream (GS), where ocean circulation regulates upper‐ocean heat and water‐mass properties. We examine temperature–salinity co‐evolution during MHWs in the Northwest (NW) Atlantic using satellite observations and ocean reanalysis for 2012–2023. Applying a consistent threshold‐based framework to sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity (SSS), we identify co‐occurring MHWs and salinity extremes and evaluate their spatial extent and vertical structure. Results reveal a statistically significant high‐salinity imprint during MHWs along the GS North wall and shelf‐break corridor, consistent with advection of warm, saline GS waters preconditioning the upper ocean for vertically extensive warming. Low‐SSS extremes tend to cover greater area on the continental shelf, where surface freshening likely favors shallow, surface‐intensified MHWs. These results underscore SSS as a critical diagnostic for advective water‐mass influence and stratification during MHWs in the NW Atlantic.
Abstract. Global shelf seas have experienced unprecedented marine heatwaves (MHWs) in recent decades. Although MHWs have been extensively studied at the global scale, their regional variability and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, particularly in shelf seas influenced by multiple climate modes. Here, we...
Increasing greenhouse gas concentrations are placing severe pressure on the Earth system, particularly on the ocean, which plays a vital role in carbon and heat uptake, and overall climate regulation. Consequently, the ocean is experiencing an accelerated warming, leading to an increase in the occurrence of extreme sea...
Beatriz Lopes, Ana Oliveira, F. Silva et al.· Remote Sensing· 0 citations
The equatorial western‐central Pacific (WCP), characterized by low marine heatwave (MHW) occurrence and weak MHW intensity, is generally considered a refuge from MHWs. However, by integrating satellite observations with in situ measurements from BGC‐Argo floats and TAO/TRITON buoys, this study reveals that the WCP exhi...
Weikang Zhan, Ying Zhang, Haigang Zhan et al.· Global Change Biology· 0 citations
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are persistent extreme warm events in the ocean that pose substantial threats to marine ecosystems, fisheries, aquaculture, and offshore energy infrastructure. In 2024, the Yellow Sea experienced the most intense MHW on record in terms of cumulative intensity, with sea surface temperature (SST)...
Aimei Wang, Dong Wang, Jingxin Luo et al.· Journal of Marine Science an...· 0 citations
Extreme precipitation along the west coast of North America is often associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs), fueled by evaporation from the ocean. When ARs interact with marine heatwaves (MHWs), they can form compound extreme events with amplified hydrological impacts. Here, we quantify how MHWs influence the intensi...
Christoph Renkl, H. Seo, Arthur J. Miller· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
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