2026-10-08T18:59:49Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32081217 2026-09-29T15:38:22Z category_25906 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Tropical Cyclones Drive Vertical Reorganization and Subsurface Persistence of Marine Heatwaves hang yu (19240462) Physical oceanography Tropical cyclones marine heatwaves (MHWs) <p dir="ltr">Marine heatwaves are extreme ocean warming events that threaten marine ecosystems. Tropical cyclones are thought to terminate them through surface cooling, but this view overlooks their evolution at depth. Here we show that three consecutive tropical cyclones vertically reorganize the 2018 East China Sea marine heatwave and prolong its duration. High-resolution modelling reveals that surface suppression coincides with increased heatwave area and intensity at greater depths. Sensitivity experiments identify wind forcing as the main driver. Surface heat loss cools the upper ocean, while mixing and vertical advection redistribute heat downward and horizontal advection supplies warm water. As stratification recovers, the strongest heatwave signal remains below the mixed layer, reducing atmospheric heat loss and allowing it to persist for months. Seasonal mixed-layer deepening later returns the anomaly to the surface. Four additional events show similar responses. These findings provide insight into how tropical cyclones affect marine heatwaves and are important for understanding and predicting extreme warming duration in marginal seas.</p> 2026-04-23T07:51:19Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.32081217.v5 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_b_Tropical_b_b_C_b_b_yclones_Can_Promote_Subsurface_Marine_Heatwaves_and_Extend_Their_Persistence_b_/32081217 CC BY 4.0