Record-breaking 2023 marine heatwaves around the globe. Really!

The latest alarmism and hysteria spread by the AAAS! Or shall we call it junk science?

We still know very little about what is going on in our oceans!

There are at least three, dubious things to note here:

1. This is only about surface temperatures. How much do they matter?
2. Historical data is only available back to 1982. That is a joke!
3. The metric used seems to be suspicious too, i.e. totaling 53.6 billion °C days square kilometer. What does that mean?

"It’s not just us here on land who have to deal with soaring [???] global temperatures. Our aquatic counterparts are feeling the heat, too. And as marine heatwaves increase in frequency and intensity, they’re threatening marine ecosystems and the industries that rely on them. Things got so bad in 2023 that some scientists referred to the events that year as “super-marine heatwaves.” Now, we have some clues as to what caused those heatwaves to be so extreme. ..."

From the editor's summary and abstract:

"Editor’s summary

Ocean surface temperatures vary from year to year, experiencing heat waves like those felt on land, but 2023 saw an extraordinarily large increase in marine heat waves with no recent analog. Dong et al. report that 2023 set new records in the duration, extent, and intensity of these events by as much as three standard deviations above the historical average of the past four decades. The increasing trends in marine heat waves present intensifying dangers to ecological, social, and economic systems. ...

Abstract

The year 2023 witnessed an extraordinary surge in marine heatwaves (MHWs) across Earth’s oceans, setting new records in duration, extent, and intensity, with MHW activity totaling 53.6 billion °C days square kilometer—more than three standard deviations above the historical norm since 1982.

Notable events include the North Atlantic MHW (276-year return period) and the Southwest Pacific (141 years). Using ECCO2 (Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean-Phase II) high-resolution daily data, we conducted a mixed-layer heat budget analysis and identified region-specific drivers:

enhanced shortwave flux and a shallower mixed layer in the North Atlantic and North Pacific,

reduced cloud cover 

and increased advection in the Southwest Pacific, and oceanic advections in the Tropical Eastern Pacific.

The 2023 MHWs highlight the intensifying impacts of a warm climate and the challenges in understanding extreme events."

ScienceAdviser

Record-breaking 2023 marine heatwaves (no public access)