Comparing global trends in marine cold spells and marine heatwaves using reprocessed satellite data

• DOI: 10.5194/sp-1-osr7-3-2023
• Publication Date: 2023-09-27T05:01:36Z
• Authors: Robert Peal; Mark Worsfold; Simon Good

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> Climate change is causing extreme climate events to become more frequent and severe. Marine heatwaves (MHWs) marine cold spells (MCSs) are prolonged, discrete periods of anomalously high or low ocean temperatures with wide-ranging impacts from dramatic shifts in biodiversity changes fishery yields. Previous research has found that MHWs increasing frequency intensity, but MCSs remain less well understood. We used sea surface temperature (SST) data compare the global observed MCS MHW intensities trends their over period 1982–2021. These were also assigned a category I (moderate) IV (extreme). Our findings show large areas it can be said 99 % confidence have frequent. In those regions, occurrence typically reduced by one event every 5 years, while there extra 10 years. However, parts Southern Ocean go against these becoming slightly The trend numbers decreasing mostly due increases (and decreases) II events. Category III common than milder events, analysis demonstrated across most they occurring at increased rate. spatial extent affected faster occurrences infrequent, rates occurrence, as affected, near constant. Many our results agreement previous studies; what significant about this study fact uses different, higher-resolution input SST dataset. similarity between different efforts strengthens argument not just feature