TY - JOUR
T1 - Exceptional atmospheric conditions in June 2023 generated a northwest European marine heatwave which contributed to breaking land temperature records
AU - Berthou, Ségolène
AU - Renshaw, Richard
AU - Smyth, Tim
AU - Tinker, Jonathan
AU - Grist, Jeremy P.
AU - Wihsgott, Juliane uta
AU - Jones, Sam
AU - Inall, Mark
AU - Nolan, Glenn
AU - Berx, Barbara
AU - Arnold, Alex
AU - Blunn, Lewis P.
AU - Castillo, Juan Manuel
AU - Cotterill, Daniel
AU - Daly, Eoghan
AU - Dow, Gareth
AU - Gómez, Breogán
AU - Fraser-Leonhardt, Vivian
AU - Hirschi, Joel J.-M.
AU - Lewis, Huw W.
AU - Mahmood, Sana
AU - Worsfold, Mark
N1 - Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons
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© Crown Copyright as represented by Met Office and Scottish Government,
and Tim Smyth, Jeremy P. Grist, Juliane Uta Wihsgott, Sam Jones, Mark Inall,
Glenn Nolan, Eoghan Daly, Vivian Fraser-Leonhardt, Joel J.-M. Hirschi 2024
PY - 2024/5/30
Y1 - 2024/5/30
N2 - The Northwest European shelf experienced unprecedented surface temperature anomalies in June 2023 (anomalies up to 5 °C locally, north of Ireland). Here, we show the shelf average underwent its longest recorded category II marine heatwave (16 days). With state-of-the-art observation and modelling capabilities, we show the marine heatwave developed quickly due to strong atmospheric forcing (high level of sunshine, weak winds, tropical air) and weak wave activity under anticyclonic weather regimes. Once formed, this shallow marine heatwave fed back on the weather: over the sea it reduced cloud cover and over land it contributed to breaking June mean temperature records and to enhanced convective rainfall through stronger, warmer and moister sea breezes. This marine heatwave was intensified by the last 20-year warming trend in sea surface temperatures. Such sea surface temperatures are projected to become commonplace by the middle of the century under a high greenhouse gas emission scenario. © Crown Copyright as represented by Met Office and Scottish Government, and Tim Smyth, Jeremy P. Grist, Juliane Uta Wihsgott, Sam Jones, Mark Inall, Glenn Nolan, Eoghan Daly, Vivian Fraser-Leonhardt, Joel J.-M. Hirschi 2024.
AB - The Northwest European shelf experienced unprecedented surface temperature anomalies in June 2023 (anomalies up to 5 °C locally, north of Ireland). Here, we show the shelf average underwent its longest recorded category II marine heatwave (16 days). With state-of-the-art observation and modelling capabilities, we show the marine heatwave developed quickly due to strong atmospheric forcing (high level of sunshine, weak winds, tropical air) and weak wave activity under anticyclonic weather regimes. Once formed, this shallow marine heatwave fed back on the weather: over the sea it reduced cloud cover and over land it contributed to breaking June mean temperature records and to enhanced convective rainfall through stronger, warmer and moister sea breezes. This marine heatwave was intensified by the last 20-year warming trend in sea surface temperatures. Such sea surface temperatures are projected to become commonplace by the middle of the century under a high greenhouse gas emission scenario. © Crown Copyright as represented by Met Office and Scottish Government, and Tim Smyth, Jeremy P. Grist, Juliane Uta Wihsgott, Sam Jones, Mark Inall, Glenn Nolan, Eoghan Daly, Vivian Fraser-Leonhardt, Joel J.-M. Hirschi 2024.
KW - Europe
KW - atmospheric dynamics
KW - atmospheric forcing
KW - carbon emission
KW - greenhouse gas
KW - heat wave
KW - modeling
KW - rainfall
KW - sea surface temperature
KW - temperature anomaly
U2 - 10.1038/s43247-024-01413-8
DO - 10.1038/s43247-024-01413-8
M3 - Article
SN - 2662-4435
VL - 5
JO - Communications Earth & Environment
JF - Communications Earth & Environment
IS - 1
M1 - 287
ER -
Climate action