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Thermal displacement by marine heatwaves.
Michael G Jacox1,2,3, Michael A Alexander4, Steven J Bograd5,6
1NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA. michael.jacox@noaa.gov.
Nature
|August 8, 2020
Summary
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) cause significant ocean ecosystem changes. A new metric, thermal displacement, reveals MHWs shift species habitats over thousands of kilometers, comparable to long-term warming trends.
Area of Science:
- Oceanography
- Marine Ecology
- Climate Science
Background:
- Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are prolonged periods of unusually warm ocean temperatures with significant ecological and socioeconomic consequences.
- Current MHW analysis focuses on local temperature anomalies, neglecting the spatial shifts of marine species seeking favorable habitats.
Observation:
- A new metric, thermal displacement, quantifies MHWs by the spatial shifts of sea surface temperature contours.
- Global MHWs from 1982-2019 were analyzed using observational sea surface temperature data.
Findings:
- MHWs cause thermal displacements ranging from tens to thousands of kilometers globally.
- These displacements do not correlate with MHW intensity and are comparable in magnitude to century-scale warming shifts.
- The spatial patterns of MHW-driven thermal displacement differ significantly from those of long-term warming trends.
Implications:
- This research expands the understanding of MHW impacts on marine species, identifying regions vulnerable to thermal displacement.
- MHW-driven spatial shifts are comparable to long-term climate change impacts and require consideration in marine resource management.
- Projected ocean warming may alter the patterns and extent of MHW-driven thermal displacements.
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