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1. Subsurface Evolution and Persistence of Marine Heatwaves in the Northeast Pacific

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090548  

   Scannell, H A; Johnson, G C; Thompson, L; Lyman, J M; Riser, S C (December 2020, Geophysical Research Letters)

   Abstract The reappearance of a northeast Pacific marine heatwave (MHW) sounded alarms in late summer 2019 for a warming event on par with the 2013–2016 MHW known as The Blob. Despite these two events having similar magnitudes in surface warming, differences in seasonality and salinity distinguish their evolutions. We compare and contrast the ocean's role in the evolution and persistence of the 2013–2016 and 2019–2020 MHWs using mapped temperature and salinity data from Argo floats. An unusual near‐surface freshwater anomaly in the Gulf of Alaska during 2019 increased the stability of the water column, preventing the MHW from penetrating deep as strongly as the 2013–2016 event. This freshwater anomaly likely contributed to the intensification of the MHW by increasing the near‐surface buoyancy. The gradual buildup of subsurface heat content throughout 2020 in the region suggests the potential for persistent ecological impacts. 

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2. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation modulated marine heatwaves in the Northeast Pacific during past decades

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00863-w  

   Ren, Xianglin; Liu, Wei; Capotondi, Antonietta; Amaya, Dillon J.; Holbrook, Neil J. (December 2023, Communications Earth & Environment)

   Abstract The Pacific Decadal Oscillation has been suggested to play an important role in driving marine heatwaves in the Northeast Pacific during recent decades. Here we combine observations and climate model simulations to show that marine heatwaves became longer, stronger and more frequent off the Northeast Pacific coast under a positive Pacific Decadal Oscillation scenario, unlike what is found during a negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation scenario. This primarily results from the different mean-state sea surface temperatures between the two Pacific Decadal Oscillation phases. Compared to the cool (negative) phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, warmer coastal sea surface temperatures occur during the positive Pacific Decadal Oscillation phase due to reduced coastal cold upwelling and increased net downward surface heat flux. Model results show that, relative to the background anthropogenic global warming, the positive Pacific Decadal Oscillation in the period 2013–2022 prolongs marine heatwaves duration by up to 43% and acts to increase marine heatwaves annual frequency by up to 32% off the Northeast Pacific coast. 

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3. An Optimal Precursor of Northeast Pacific Marine Heatwaves and Central Pacific El Niño Events

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl097350  

   Capotondi, A.; Newman, M.; Xu, T.; Di Lorenzo, E. (March 2022, Geophysical Research Letters)
4. The Continuum of Northeast Pacific Marine Heatwaves and Their Relationship to the Tropical Pacific

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090661  

   Xu, Tongtong; Newman, Matthew; Capotondi, Antonietta; Di Lorenzo, Emanuele (January 2021, Geophysical Research Letters)

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5. Seasonal variability in energetic value of Crangon alaskensis and effects of marine heatwaves in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106475  

   Zuelow, Angelina N.; Danilchik, Nikolai M.; Donahue, Hope S.; Henkel, Sarah K. (May 2024, Marine Environmental Research)

   Research cruises were conducted to sample the invertebrate community along the shelf off the central coast of Oregon from 2010 to 2018. A large marine heatwave (MHW) hit the northeast Pacific in fall 2014 and persisted locally through 2015. Here, we assessed the caloric content changes of Crangon alaskensis (a common sandy shrimp) before, during, and after the 2014–2015 MHW. We found significant reductions in the caloric density of shelf populations of C. alaskensis during summer 2015. Oceanographic indices like the Biologically Effective Upwelling Transport Index (BEUTI) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) had greater predictive power for caloric density and biomass than in situ conditions, although bottom temperature and dissolved oxygen were also significantly correlated with caloric density. Caloric density of C. alaskensis was highest in 2018, indicating favorable conditions after the intense MHW of 2014–2015 allowed the caloric density to rebound. 

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