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.
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