Deep ocean marine heatwaves may be under-reported

17/10/2024 18:26

        Heatwaves deep in oceans may be "significantly under-reported", highlighting an area of marine warming that has been largely overlooked, a joint study by Australia's national science agency (CISRO) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found.
        
        The study, which was published on Thursday in the Nature scientific journal, found that 80% of marine heatwaves below 100 metres are independent of surface events.
        
        It said researchers used observational data from more than two million ocean temperature profiles from global oceans.
        
        CISRO's Ming Feng said, "These findings deepen our understanding of the frequency and intensity of extreme temperature events under the ocean surface and possible implications."
        
        The study said, marine heatwaves are prolonged temperature events that can cause severe damage to marine habitats, such as impacts to coral reefs and species displacement.
        
        It said, these events are becoming more common due to global warming, causing "catastrophic ecological and socioeconomic impacts."