Trans-basin interaction sustains multi-year marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska
Abstract Multi-year marine heatwaves (MHWs) in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) are major climate events with lasting ecological and economic effects. Though often seen as local Pacific phenomena, our study shows their persistence depends on trans-basin interactions between the North Pacific and North Atlan...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01187-6 |
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| author | Yu Zhao Jin-Yi Yu Huang-Hsiung Hsu I-I Lin Song Yang Chunzai Wang Jian Shi Yan Du Xin Wang Tao Lian Sang-Wook Yeh |
| author_facet | Yu Zhao Jin-Yi Yu Huang-Hsiung Hsu I-I Lin Song Yang Chunzai Wang Jian Shi Yan Du Xin Wang Tao Lian Sang-Wook Yeh |
| author_sort | Yu Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Multi-year marine heatwaves (MHWs) in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) are major climate events with lasting ecological and economic effects. Though often seen as local Pacific phenomena, our study shows their persistence depends on trans-basin interactions between the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Using observational data and climate model experiments, we find that prolonged MHWs occur as sequential warming episodes triggered by atmospheric wave trains crossing ocean basins. These wave trains alter surface heat flux, initiating MHWs in the GOA and changing North Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SSTs). In turn, Atlantic SST anomalies reinforce wave activity, fueling subsequent MHW episodes in a feedback loop. This mechanism appears in historical events (1949–52, 1962–65, 2013–16, and 2018–22), highlighting MHWs as a trans-basin phenomenon. Our findings link GOA MHWs to trans-basin atmospheric wave dynamics and identify North Atlantic SSTs as a potential predictor of their duration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0b890cf4f9e0477e93ba059cc64148a2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2397-3722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-0b890cf4f9e0477e93ba059cc64148a22025-08-20T03:42:30ZengNature Portfolionpj Climate and Atmospheric Science2397-37222025-08-018111110.1038/s41612-025-01187-6Trans-basin interaction sustains multi-year marine heatwaves in the Gulf of AlaskaYu Zhao0Jin-Yi Yu1Huang-Hsiung Hsu2I-I Lin3Song Yang4Chunzai Wang5Jian Shi6Yan Du7Xin Wang8Tao Lian9Sang-Wook Yeh10Department of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaResearch Center for Environmental Changes, Academia SinicaDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan UniversitySchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai)State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesFrontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Ocean Remote Sensing, State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural ResourcesDepartment of Marine Science and Convergence Engineering, Hanyang University, ERICAAbstract Multi-year marine heatwaves (MHWs) in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) are major climate events with lasting ecological and economic effects. Though often seen as local Pacific phenomena, our study shows their persistence depends on trans-basin interactions between the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Using observational data and climate model experiments, we find that prolonged MHWs occur as sequential warming episodes triggered by atmospheric wave trains crossing ocean basins. These wave trains alter surface heat flux, initiating MHWs in the GOA and changing North Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SSTs). In turn, Atlantic SST anomalies reinforce wave activity, fueling subsequent MHW episodes in a feedback loop. This mechanism appears in historical events (1949–52, 1962–65, 2013–16, and 2018–22), highlighting MHWs as a trans-basin phenomenon. Our findings link GOA MHWs to trans-basin atmospheric wave dynamics and identify North Atlantic SSTs as a potential predictor of their duration.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01187-6 |
| spellingShingle | Yu Zhao Jin-Yi Yu Huang-Hsiung Hsu I-I Lin Song Yang Chunzai Wang Jian Shi Yan Du Xin Wang Tao Lian Sang-Wook Yeh Trans-basin interaction sustains multi-year marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| title | Trans-basin interaction sustains multi-year marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_full | Trans-basin interaction sustains multi-year marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_fullStr | Trans-basin interaction sustains multi-year marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trans-basin interaction sustains multi-year marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_short | Trans-basin interaction sustains multi-year marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska |
| title_sort | trans basin interaction sustains multi year marine heatwaves in the gulf of alaska |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01187-6 |
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