HONG KONG: 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 ( October 17 ) in the Nature scientific journal, discovered that surface events account for 80 % of marine heatwaves below 100 meters.
According to the report, researchers used empirical data from global oceans and more than two million sea temperatures profiles.
These findings “deepen our knowledge of the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events under the sea floor and potential implications,” according to CISRO’s Ming Feng.
According to the study, sea heatwaves are prolonged heat events that can seriously harm marine habitats, including coral reef impacts and species dislocation.
Global warming is making these activities more frequent, which are causing” catastrophic ecological and economic impacts,” according to the statement.
Based on publicly available satellite data on sea-surface heat, area signals have been the focus of the majority of previous studies on sea heatwaves.
The study found that individual, deeper heat was particularly alarming because it had an impact on the habitat of so many different creatures and what they ate on.
Because they affect the biodiversity of the majority of aquatic major producers and consumers, it said,” Intense heat events below the water surface pose a greater natural risk.”
The study also highlighted the effect of ocean currents, in particular ripples, on sea wildfires, indicating they are a key driver of groundwater events, CISRO said.
Ocean ripples can affect acid, oxygen levels and nutritional concentrations in the sea.
Understanding the causes of groundwater sea heatwaves, such as eddies, may increase the ability to assess these events in a climate climate and make future predictions, it said.