Climate modes synergistically influence  marine heatwaves in the North Sea

Lin, Yuxin; Liu, Zhiqiang; Zhou, Feng; Meng, Qicheng; Zhang, Wenyan

doi:10.5194/os-22-2287-2026

Articles | Volume 22, issue 4

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-2287-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-2287-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 4

Research article

|

30 Jul 2026

Research article |

| 30 Jul 2026

Climate modes synergistically influence marine heatwaves in the North Sea

Yuxin Lin, Zhiqiang Liu, Feng Zhou, Qicheng Meng, and Wenyan Zhang

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-2287-2026-supplement

Data sets

Global Ocean OSTIA Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice ReprocessedOSTIA M. Worsfold https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00168

Ship-of-Opportunity, FerryBox-integrated, membrane-based sensor pCO2, temperature and salinity measurements in the surface North Sea since 2013 Vlad-Alexandru Macovei et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.930383

ERA5 monthly averaged data on single levels from 1940 to present H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f17050d7

ORAS5 global ocean reanalysis monthly data from 1958 to present Copernicus Climate Change Service https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.67e8eeb7

Model code and software

Climate Modes Synergistically Influence Marine Heatwaves in the North Sea Yuxin Lin https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20256573

Short summary

Marine heatwaves, periods of unusually warm sea temperatures, are increasing worldwide. Using observed sea surface temperature data and statistical clustering, this study shows that the North Sea contains two regions with different seasonal responses to climate patterns. Winter heatwaves in the south are driven by regional circulation, while summer events in the north reflect Atlantic and Pacific influences. These insights can help improve regional forecasting.