File(s) under permanent embargo
Marine heatwaves threaten global biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 04:53 authored by Smale, DA, Wernberg, T, Oliver, ECJ, Thomsen, M, Harvey, BP, Straub, SC, Burrows, MT, Alexander, LV, Benthuysen, JA, Donat, MG, Feng, M, Hobday, AJ, Neil HolbrookNeil Holbrook, Perkins-Kirkpatrick, SE, Scannell, HA, Sen Gupta, A, Payne, BL, Moore, PJThe global ocean has warmed substantially over the past century, with far-reaching implications for marine ecosystems. Concurrent with long-term persistent warming, discrete periods of extreme regional ocean warming (marine heatwaves, MHWs) have increased in frequency. Here we quantify trends and attributes of MHWs across all ocean basins and examine their biological impacts from species to ecosystems. Multiple regions in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans are particularly vulnerable to MHW intensification, due to the co-existence of high levels of biodiversity, a prevalence of species found at their warm range edges or concurrent non-climatic human impacts. The physical attributes of prominent MHWs varied considerably, but all had deleterious impacts across a range of biological processes and taxa, including critical foundation species (corals, seagrasses and kelps). MHWs, which will probably intensify with anthropogenic climate change, are rapidly emerging as forceful agents of disturbance with the capacity to restructure entire ecosystems and disrupt the provision of ecological goods and services in coming decades.
History
Publication title
Nature Climate ChangeVolume
9Issue
4Pagination
306-312ISSN
1758-678XDepartment/School
Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesPublisher
Nature Publishing GroupPlace of publication
United KingdomRights statement
Copyright 2019 Springer NatureRepository Status
- Restricted