Abstract In 2024, the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region experienced a prolonged marine heatwave (MHW), intensifying during the warm season and peaking in mid‐August. Mixed‐layer heat budget analysis reveals that the onset was primarily driven by anticyclonic eddies associated with a northward‐shifted KE axis and enhanced shortwave radiation due to atmospheric blocking. This was further amplified by an eastward‐propagating Eurasian teleconnection wave train triggered by North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. The decay phase was dominated by eddy activity and wind–evaporation–SST feedback. Attribution analysis shows that such an event would have been unlikely without anthropogenic forcing, with approximately 35% of its magnitude attributed to atmospheric circulation, and the remaining 65% to thermodynamic warming and oceanic internal dynamics. These results highlight the increasing likelihood of persistent MHWs in dynamic western boundary current regions under climate change, emphasizing the need for enhanced predictive tools and targeted adaptation efforts.
Observations from the Little Bunker
Last updated: August 19, 2025 10:09 PM
Atmospheric CO₂
425.4 ppm
+18.4
ppm/year
Atmospheric CH₄
1934.91 ppb
+9.11
ppb/year
Global Temperature
+1.48 °C
Peak: +1.73°C
World Population
8.1 billion
+67
million/year