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Volume 7, Issue 9(Suppl) J Earth Sci Clim Change
ISSN: 2157-7617 JESCC, an open access journal
Page 66
Climate Change 2016
October 27-29, 2016
conferenceseries.com
October 24-26, 2016 Valencia, Spain
World Conference onClimate Change
Marine heat waves: Definitions, drivers and global trends
Adverse impacts of marine heat waves (MHWs) include shifts in marine species ranges, local extinctions and economic
impacts on seafood industries. Global patterns of MHWs suggest that their magnitude, timing and distribution may
be driven by known modes of climate variability. Importantly, drivers represent a combination of both local and remote
processes with the remote, larger-scale processes offering the potential for MHW predictability. Here we have (1) undertaken
a systematic and comprehensive search of observed MHW events reported in the peer-reviewed literature, (2) synthesized
and critically assessed reported details of the characteristic drivers and oceanographic processes that caused them, classified
by ocean climate region and time scale under a common framework, and (3) performed a meta-analysis of these events based
on high-resolution global sea surface temperature records providing unified estimates of MHW event intensity, duration and
spatial extent. We have also used historical records of satellite observations, in-situ measurements, and monthly in-situ SSTs
to reveal significant global trends in marine heat waves over the past century. Both the frequency and duration of MHWs have
doubled since 1900, resulting in a four-fold increase in the global number of annual MHWdays. These increases were generally
consistent with average sea surface warming. Continued increases in MHWs, as anticipated with accelerated warming of the
Earth during the 21st century, will have serious implications for marine ecosystems, biodiversity and major industries fisheries,
aquaculture and tourism.
Biography
Neil J Holbrook is Associate Professor of Climatology and Climate Change and Deputy Head, Centre for Oceans and Cryosphere within the Institute for Marine
and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. His interests and expertise are in the ocean's role in climate, ocean and climate dynamics, climate variability,
extremes, climate change, and systems science. He led Australia's National Climate Change Adaptation Research Network for Marine Biodiversity and Resources
from 2009-2013. He is President of the International Commission on Climate of IAMAS/IUGG and Fellow of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic
Society.
Neil J Holbrook
University of Tasmania, Australia
Neil J Holbrook, J Earth Sci Clim Change 2016, 7:9(Suppl)