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Abstract Aquatic ecosystems face increasing threats from heatwaves driven by anthropogenic climate change, necessitating continued research to understand and manage the ecological consequences. Experimental studies are essential for understanding the impacts of heatwaves in aquatic systems; however, traditional experimental methods often fail to capture real‐world complexity. Here, we present a method for simulating aquatic heatwaves that match the dynamic nature of real‐world heatwave events in an experimental setting. Our method allows researchers to re‐create heatwaves that have happened in the past or produce entirely new heatwave scenarios based on future projections. A Raspberry Pi serves as the foundation of our autonomous, customizable temperature control system, leveraging a low‐cost and open‐source platform for adaptability and accessibility. We demonstrate system functionality for laboratory experiments by first simulating a hypothetical marine heatwave scenario with defined temperature parameters and then replicating a real‐world marine heatwave that occurred in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, in 2015. The average difference between desired and observed temperatures was 0.023°C for the basic heatwave simulation and less than 0.001°C for the real‐world heatwave simulation, with standard deviations of 0.04°C and 0.01°C, respectively. Our novel method facilitates broader access to high‐quality and affordable tools to study extreme climate events. By adopting a more realistic experimental approach, scientists can conduct more informative aquatic heatwaves studies.
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This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2027
Ocean dynamics shape marine heatwaves and their predictability
Abstract Marine heatwaves have become more frequent and intense under anthropogenic warming, posing increasing threats to marine ecosystems and coastal societies, necessitating a better understanding of their mechanism and predictability. Here we show how ocean dynamics modulate marine heatwaves globally by comparing dynamic and slab ocean climate model simulations. We discover that ocean dynamics significantly promote marine heatwave intensity and duration in mid-to-high latitude oceans, as well as the eastern tropical Pacific where marine heatwaves are inherently linked to extreme El Niño events. Our mixed-layer heat budget analysis unravels that heat accumulation during marine heatwave episodes is strongly influenced by vertical mixing and horizontal transport processes, so that warm sea surface temperature extremes in dynamic ocean differ in magnitude and evolution rhythm from those in slab ocean. We further find robust multi-year potential predictability of marine heatwave in the North Atlantic with a dynamic ocean, owing primarily to the predictability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Our findings emphasize the irreplaceable role of oceanic dynamics in marine heatwave evolution and predictability, with important implications for future climate extreme prediction and adaptation strategies.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2237743
- PAR ID:
- 10677630
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Nature
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nature Communications
- Volume:
- 17
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2041-1723
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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