Frequent land-ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate change
Abstract Anthropogenic warming has exacerbated atmospheric heatwaves globally, yet the transboundary migration of heatwaves between land and ocean, along with the anthropogenic influence on this process, remain unclear. Here, we employ a Lagrangian tracking approach to identify and track spatiotempo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58586-9 |
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| author | Xihui Gu Zaiming Jiang Yansong Guan Ming Luo Jianfeng Li Lunche Wang Xiang Zhang Dongdong Kong Liangyi Wang |
| author_facet | Xihui Gu Zaiming Jiang Yansong Guan Ming Luo Jianfeng Li Lunche Wang Xiang Zhang Dongdong Kong Liangyi Wang |
| author_sort | Xihui Gu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Anthropogenic warming has exacerbated atmospheric heatwaves globally, yet the transboundary migration of heatwaves between land and ocean, along with the anthropogenic influence on this process, remain unclear. Here, we employ a Lagrangian tracking approach to identify and track spatiotemporally contiguous warm-season heatwaves in both reanalyses and simulations. This way, we show that land-ocean transboundary heatwaves, especially in the tropics, exhibit longer persistence, wider areal extent, and greater intensity than those confined to land or ocean. These transboundary migrations are primarily driven by the movement of high-pressure systems (such as the westward extension of subtropical highs) and the propagation of Rossby waves. Associated with increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, the frequency of tropical heatwave migrations has increased over the past four decades, and is projected to accelerate further in the twenty-first century under the high-emissions scenario. Anthropogenically-driven landward migrations are amplified by stronger landward winds that drive heat advection, while oceanward processes are likely intensified by increased land-ocean temperature gradient. These intensified transboundary heatwaves not only accentuate humid heat risks for humans but also threaten ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d7b4e8a62a24eefa83bba54b3cd73c7 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d7b4e8a62a24eefa83bba54b3cd73c72025-08-20T02:12:07ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-0116111310.1038/s41467-025-58586-9Frequent land-ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate changeXihui Gu0Zaiming Jiang1Yansong Guan2Ming Luo3Jianfeng Li4Lunche Wang5Xiang Zhang6Dongdong Kong7Liangyi Wang8State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, China University of GeosciencesDepartment of Atmospheric Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of GeosciencesState Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, China University of GeosciencesGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Central AveState Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, China University of GeosciencesNational Engineering Research Center of Geographic Information System, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of GeosciencesDepartment of Atmospheric Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of GeosciencesDepartment of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist UniversityAbstract Anthropogenic warming has exacerbated atmospheric heatwaves globally, yet the transboundary migration of heatwaves between land and ocean, along with the anthropogenic influence on this process, remain unclear. Here, we employ a Lagrangian tracking approach to identify and track spatiotemporally contiguous warm-season heatwaves in both reanalyses and simulations. This way, we show that land-ocean transboundary heatwaves, especially in the tropics, exhibit longer persistence, wider areal extent, and greater intensity than those confined to land or ocean. These transboundary migrations are primarily driven by the movement of high-pressure systems (such as the westward extension of subtropical highs) and the propagation of Rossby waves. Associated with increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, the frequency of tropical heatwave migrations has increased over the past four decades, and is projected to accelerate further in the twenty-first century under the high-emissions scenario. Anthropogenically-driven landward migrations are amplified by stronger landward winds that drive heat advection, while oceanward processes are likely intensified by increased land-ocean temperature gradient. These intensified transboundary heatwaves not only accentuate humid heat risks for humans but also threaten ecosystems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58586-9 |
| spellingShingle | Xihui Gu Zaiming Jiang Yansong Guan Ming Luo Jianfeng Li Lunche Wang Xiang Zhang Dongdong Kong Liangyi Wang Frequent land-ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate change Nature Communications |
| title | Frequent land-ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate change |
| title_full | Frequent land-ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate change |
| title_fullStr | Frequent land-ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Frequent land-ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate change |
| title_short | Frequent land-ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate change |
| title_sort | frequent land ocean transboundary migration of tropical heatwaves under climate change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58586-9 |
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