Role of Regional Ocean Dynamical Processes

Local ocean dynamics determine how heat accumulates and dissipates in the upper ocean. This strand uses heat budget analysis to separate the contributions of horizontal advection, vertical processes, air–sea heat flux and mixing during marine heatwave events.

Composite analysis across events shows which terms consistently promote warming at onset, which sustain a heatwave once it is established, and which drive its decay. The relative importance of these terms differs between shallow shelves, deep basins and narrow straits.

By tracing heat through the budget rather than inferring it from temperature alone, the analysis connects the observed events to the physical processes that produce them.