El Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023
Abstract In 2023, global ocean heat content reached unprecedented values since records began in 1960. The translation of global ocean heat into regional and local-scale ocean warming remains poorly understood because of limited observational data, particularly within Southeast Asia. Here, we investi...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99511-w |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850277905193500672 |
|---|---|
| author | Fangyi Tan Dhrubajyoti Samanta Kyle Morgan Patrick Martin Stephen Chua Zihan Aw Isaac Lai Aron J. Meltzner Jingyu Wang Benjamin P. Horton |
| author_facet | Fangyi Tan Dhrubajyoti Samanta Kyle Morgan Patrick Martin Stephen Chua Zihan Aw Isaac Lai Aron J. Meltzner Jingyu Wang Benjamin P. Horton |
| author_sort | Fangyi Tan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In 2023, global ocean heat content reached unprecedented values since records began in 1960. The translation of global ocean heat into regional and local-scale ocean warming remains poorly understood because of limited observational data, particularly within Southeast Asia. Here, we investigate the 2023 ocean warming event in Southeast Asia using near-continuous 41-month in-situ ocean temperature observations from the Singapore Strait, satellite sea surface temperature (SST) measurements, and high-resolution reanalysis products. We document anomalous ocean warming across the Singapore Strait and surrounding South China Sea and Indonesian Seas to depths of at least 40 m. Peak SSTs of 1.8 °C above the climatological mean were recorded in the central Sunda Shelf in November 2023 for the first time in > 40 years. Concurrent anomalous freshening of the Singapore Strait was observed, with average salinity below the climatological mean from October to December. We identify a southward migration of warm temperature anomalies beginning with the onset of the El Niño in July 2023 near the Luzon Strait. This occurred alongside southward shifts in mean sea-level pressure and near-surface ocean currents in the region. We attribute these observations to the southward shift of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation latitude, which permitted the intrusion of Pacific western boundary currents into the South China Sea and Indonesian seas. Compared to the oceanic drivers, atmospheric forcings played a limited role in driving the ocean warming in 2023. Our study highlights El Niño as the key driver of the ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023, and emphasises the need for expanded continuous, in-situ ocean temperature monitoring to enhance understanding of evolving ocean-atmosphere dynamics and impacts in Southeast Asia under a warming climate. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d820f0e891bb45cfacc6a43ce2c0c2bb |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-d820f0e891bb45cfacc6a43ce2c0c2bb2025-08-20T01:49:42ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-99511-wEl Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023Fangyi Tan0Dhrubajyoti Samanta1Kyle Morgan2Patrick Martin3Stephen Chua4Zihan Aw5Isaac Lai6Aron J. Meltzner7Jingyu Wang8Benjamin P. Horton9Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological UniversityEarth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological UniversityEarth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological UniversityAsian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological UniversityEarth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological UniversityEarth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological UniversityEarth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological UniversityEarth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological UniversityHumanities and Social Studies Education, National Institute of EducationEarth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological UniversityAbstract In 2023, global ocean heat content reached unprecedented values since records began in 1960. The translation of global ocean heat into regional and local-scale ocean warming remains poorly understood because of limited observational data, particularly within Southeast Asia. Here, we investigate the 2023 ocean warming event in Southeast Asia using near-continuous 41-month in-situ ocean temperature observations from the Singapore Strait, satellite sea surface temperature (SST) measurements, and high-resolution reanalysis products. We document anomalous ocean warming across the Singapore Strait and surrounding South China Sea and Indonesian Seas to depths of at least 40 m. Peak SSTs of 1.8 °C above the climatological mean were recorded in the central Sunda Shelf in November 2023 for the first time in > 40 years. Concurrent anomalous freshening of the Singapore Strait was observed, with average salinity below the climatological mean from October to December. We identify a southward migration of warm temperature anomalies beginning with the onset of the El Niño in July 2023 near the Luzon Strait. This occurred alongside southward shifts in mean sea-level pressure and near-surface ocean currents in the region. We attribute these observations to the southward shift of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation latitude, which permitted the intrusion of Pacific western boundary currents into the South China Sea and Indonesian seas. Compared to the oceanic drivers, atmospheric forcings played a limited role in driving the ocean warming in 2023. Our study highlights El Niño as the key driver of the ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023, and emphasises the need for expanded continuous, in-situ ocean temperature monitoring to enhance understanding of evolving ocean-atmosphere dynamics and impacts in Southeast Asia under a warming climate.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99511-wOcean temperatureSingapore StraitSoutheast AsiaClimate changeEl-Niño Southern Oscillation |
| spellingShingle | Fangyi Tan Dhrubajyoti Samanta Kyle Morgan Patrick Martin Stephen Chua Zihan Aw Isaac Lai Aron J. Meltzner Jingyu Wang Benjamin P. Horton El Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023 Scientific Reports Ocean temperature Singapore Strait Southeast Asia Climate change El-Niño Southern Oscillation |
| title | El Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023 |
| title_full | El Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023 |
| title_fullStr | El Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023 |
| title_full_unstemmed | El Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023 |
| title_short | El Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023 |
| title_sort | el nino was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in southeast asia in 2023 |
| topic | Ocean temperature Singapore Strait Southeast Asia Climate change El-Niño Southern Oscillation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99511-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fangyitan elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT dhrubajyotisamanta elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT kylemorgan elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT patrickmartin elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT stephenchua elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT zihanaw elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT isaaclai elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT aronjmeltzner elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT jingyuwang elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 AT benjaminphorton elninowasakeydriverofanomalousoceanwarminginsoutheastasiain2023 |