海洋热浪是指海洋温度高于90%历史记录且持续至少5天的现象[1]。随着气候变化加剧，这类极端事件正在变得更加频繁和严重，对全球海洋生态系统造成灾难性影响[1]。
2011年2月，西澳大利亚经历的复合热浪引发了大规模生态破坏，导致陆地树木死亡、濒危凤头鹦鹉数量崩溃，还引发皮尔巴拉、宁加罗和豪特曼群岛地区出现大规模珊瑚白化[1]。2024年9月，西澳海域经历了有记录以来最长、最大、最严重的海洋热浪，持续数月，导致西北陆架地区约50%的珊瑚死亡[1]。
海洋热浪造成的破坏远超生态范畴。珊瑚、海草和鱼类大规模死亡可对渔业、水产养殖和旅游业造成数十亿美元的经济损失[1]。
Marine heatwaves, defined as sustained periods when ocean temperatures exceed the 90th percentile of historical records for at least five days, are causing devastating impacts on marine life worldwide [1]. These extreme warming events trigger mass mortality among coral, seagrass, and fish populations, with consequences expected to worsen as climate change progresses [1].
Western Australia has experienced some of the most severe documented marine heatwaves. In February 2011, a compound heatwave devastated marine ecosystems across the Pilbara, Ningaloo, and Houtman Abrolhos regions, causing widespread coral bleaching and triggering ecological cascades that extended to terrestrial species, including the collapse of endangered cockatoo populations [1]. More recently, in September 2024, Western Australian waters experienced what the region has recorded as its longest, largest, and most intense marine heatwave, persisting for several months and resulting in the death of approximately 50 percent of coral in the northwest shelf region [1].
Marine heatwaves are affecting other regions globally as well. European seas experienced elevated surface temperatures during the summer of 2026, with some areas reaching temperatures 5 degrees Celsius above average [1]. The economic consequences of these events are substantial, with marine heatwaves capable of inflicting billions of dollars in losses to fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism industries [1].
