Articles | Volume 22, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-1793-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-22-1793-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 Jun 2026
Research article |
| 11 Jun 2026
| 11 Jun 2026
Gliding through marine heatwaves: subsurface biogeochemical characteristics on the Australian continental shelf
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
South African Environmental Observation Network, Egagasini Node, Roggebaai, South Africa
Mascarene Environmental Consulting, Ltd, Coromandel, Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Mauritius
Julia Araujo
National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (CEMADEN), São José dos Campos, 12630-000, Brazil
Romain Le Gendre
IFREMER, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE (IRD, Reunion Univ., IFREMER, New Caledonia Univ., CNRS), BP 32078, 98897 Noumea CEDEX, New Caledonia
Jessica A. Benthuysen
Australian Institute of Marine Science, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
Franck Eitel Kemgang Ghomsi
Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Geodesy Research Laboratory, National Institute of Cartography, P.O. Box 157, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Nansen-Tutu Centre for Marine Environmental Research, Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Jayanthi S. Saranya
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Amandine Schaeffer
School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Short summary
Using 16 years of ocean glider data, we show that marine heatwaves are characterised by shallow mixed layers and alter subsurface biogeochemistry across Australia’s continental shelf. Surface chlorophyll generally declined, but strong stratification and event severity promoted deeper, intensified chlorophyll maxima, highlighting region-specific ecological responses to heatwaves.
Using 16 years of ocean glider data, we show that marine heatwaves are characterised by shallow...
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