Ocean Science
Ocean Science
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Articles | Volume 21, issue 4
Articles | Volume 21, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1487-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1487-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 21, issue 4
Research article
 | 
24 Jul 2025
Research article |  | 24 Jul 2025

Extreme sensitivity of the northeastern Gulf of Lion (western Mediterranean) to subsurface heatwaves: physical processes and insights into effects on gorgonian populations in the summer of 2022

Claude Estournel, Tristan Estaque, Caroline Ulses, Quentin-Boris Barral, and Patrick Marsaleix

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Cited articles

Barrier, N., Petrenko, A. A., and Ourmières, Y.: Strong intrusions of the Northern Mediterranean Current on the eastern Gulf of Lion: insights from in-situ observations and high resolution numerical modelling, Ocean Dynam., 66, 313–327, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-016-0921-7, 2016. 
Bensoussan, N., Romano, J. C., Harmelin, J. G., and Garrabou, J.: High resolution characterization of Northwest Mediterranean coastal waters thermal regimes: To better understand responses of benthic communities to climate change, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 87, 431–441, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2010.01.008, 2010. 
Bramanti, L., Manea, E., Giordano, B., Estaque, T., Bianchimani, O., Richaume, J., Mérigot, B., Schull, Q., Sartoretto, S., Garrabou, J. G., and Guizien, K.: The deep vault: a temporary refuge for temperate gorgonian forests facing marine heat waves, Mediterran. Mar. Sci., 24, 601–609, https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.35564, 2023. 
Crisci, C., Bensoussan, N., Romano, J.-C., and Garrabou, J.: Temperature anomalies and mortality events in marine communities: Insights on factors behind differential mortality impacts in the NW Mediterranean. PLoS One, 6, e23814, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0023814, 2011. 
Damien, P., Bosse, A., Testor, P., Marsaleix, P., and Estournel, C.: Modeling post-convective submesoscale coherent vortices in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 122, 9937–9961, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC012114, 2017. 
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During the summer of 2022 in the eastern Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean), exceptionally warm temperatures were observed down to depths of 30 m, along with massive mortality of benthic species. It has been shown that these deep marine heatwaves are linked to southeasterly wind episodes, which induce deep plunges of surface water overheated by the atmospheric heatwave. These events are rare in summer, but their impact on ecosystems is dramatic and will only increase with climate change.
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Special issue on ocean extremes (55th International Liége...