In recent years, marine heat waves have been taking an ever-greater toll on the world's oceans and their ecosystems. Amplified by increasing global warming, these events are occurring more frequently and lasting longer. The Arctic is not spared from this trend, as it is warming faster than any other region on our planet. However, due to local processes and conditions, marine heat waves in the Arctic differ fundamentally from those in nonpolar oceans. A recent study led by the Alfred Wegener Institute, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, summarizes how these events have developed over recent decades and what science knows about the driving forces behind them.

In recent years, marine heat waves have been taking an ever-greater toll on the world’s oceans and their ecosystems. Amplified by increasing global warming, these events are occurring more frequently and lasting longer. The Arctic is not spared from this trend, as it is warming faster than any other region on our planet. However, due to local processes and conditions, marine heat waves in the Arctic differ fundamentally from those in nonpolar oceans. A recent study led by the Alfred Wegener Institute, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, summarizes how these events have developed over recent decades and what science knows about the driving forces behind them.

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