Diego Garcia Island Suffers Marine Heat Wave: Sea Turtle Nests At Risk

What We Can't Sea

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The episode discusses how dense tree cover can help to improve the health of estuarine ecosystems. It describes how trees can provide a critical source of food and shelter for estuarine animals. Listen now.

You have probably heard of a heatwave on land, especially during the summer, where there is a long period of unusually high temperatures. Similarly, a marine heatwave (MHW) is an extended period of extremely high temperatures (temperatures higher than the normal or mean for that time of the year) in a sea or ocean that can last for weeks. It is caused by various factors, including ocean currents which can build up areas of warm water or warming of the ocean surface from increased atmospheric temperatures. MHWs can occur both in the summer and the winter, and they can affect small areas of coastline or span multiple oceans. Impacts have been reported even in remote and relatively pristine areas far from human pressures. Wherever they occur, MHWs threaten marine biodiversity and ecosystems and negatively impact the fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism industries.