Articles | Volume 21, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1987-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1987-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Sep 2025
Research article |
| 15 Sep 2025
| 15 Sep 2025
Tracking marine heatwaves in the Balearic Sea: temperature trends and the role of detection methods
Blanca Fernández-Álvarez
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
Bàrbara Barceló-Llull
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
Ananda Pascual
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
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Short summary
Marine heatwave (MHW) standard detection methods use a fixed baseline, showing rising MHW frequency and intensity due to global warming. To address this, alternative approaches separate long-term warming from extreme events. Here we compare two in the Balearic Sea: a moving baseline and detrended data. From 1982 to 2023, we found a warming trend of 0.036 °C per year, with major MHWs in 2003 and 2022 identified by all methods. Only the fixed baseline shows rising MHW duration and intensity.
Marine heatwave (MHW) standard detection methods use a fixed baseline, showing rising MHW...
