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1. 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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2. 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)
3. 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)

   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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4. Depth‐Resolved Net Primary Production in the Northeast Pacific Ocean: A Comparison of Satellite and Profiling Float Estimates in the Context of Two Marine Heatwaves

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL093462  

   Long, J. S. ; Fassbender, A. J. ; Estapa, M. L. ( October 2021 , Geophysical Research Letters)

   Methods commonly used to estimate net primary production (NPP) from satellite observations are now being applied to biogeochemical (BGC) profiling float observations. Insights can be gained from regional differences in float and satellite NPP estimates that reveal gaps in our understanding and guide future NPP model development. We use 7 years of BGC profiling float data from the Northeast Pacific Ocean to quantify discrepancies between float and satellite NPP estimates and decompose them into contributions associated with the platform sensing method and depth resolution of observations. We find small, systematic seasonal discrepancies in the depth‐integrated NPP (iNPP) but much larger (>±100%) discrepancies in depth‐resolved NPP. Annual iNPP estimates from the two platforms are significantly, positively correlated, suggesting that they similarly track interannual variability in the study region. Using the long‐term satellite iNPP record, we identify elevated annual iNPP during two recent marine heatwaves and gain insights about ecosystem functionality.

    

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5. Are Long-Term Changes in Mixed Layer Depth Influencing North Pacific Marine Heatwaves?

   https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0144.1  

   Amaya, Dillon J. ; Alexander, Michael A. ; Capotondi, Antonietta ; Deser, Clara ; Karnauskas, Kristopher B. ; Miller, Arthur J. ; Mantua, Nathan J. ( January 2021 , Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society)

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