Characteristics and Drivers of Marine Heatwaves in 2021 Summer in East Korea Bay, Japan/East Sea

Abstract

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are persistent, discrete, extreme high-temperature events in the ocean, which can destructively affect marine ecosystems. Using satellite remote sensing data and reanalysis data from 1982 to 2021, we find that six indices characterizing the MHWs are in a remarkable increasing trend in the Japan/East Sea (JES), which shows that the most severe MHW events take place in the East Korean Bay (EKB) in the summer of 2021. Based on this finding, the present study focuses on the characteristics and mechanisms of the MHWs in the EKB and its adjacent areas from June to August 2021. The analysis reveals that the total days and mean intensity of MHWs that occur in the EKB are 1.84 and 1.47 times more than those averaged in the JES, respectively. It is shown that mechanisms for the occurrences of the MHWs in the summer of 2021 are caused by the atmospheric high-pressure system moving to the EKB area. Other reasons also decrease the water cooling: the net positive lateral heat fluxes across open boundaries, and the weak sea surface wind over the EKB area. Other possible reasons which cause the summer MHW events in 2021 need the oceanic numerical models to further investigate the issue.