In 2016, the Southwest Pacific experienced an unprecedented marine heatwave caused by the co-occurrence of two major climate phenomena: El Niño and the negative phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation. This exceptional situation led to an abnormal increase in ocean surface water temperatures (30-50 m), which remained at record-high levels throughout February 2016.
The ecological consequences were dramatic:
Coral bleaching in New Caledonia
Mass fish die-offs in Vanuatu and Fiji
Analysis revealed that the absence of wind and cloud cover allowed this abnormal ocean warming to occur. Researchers from IRD (and their colleagues) utilized a digital twin of the ocean to better understand the mechanisms behind this phenomenon.
This episode ended just as spectacularly with the passage of Cyclone Winston, the most powerful cyclone ever recorded in the region, which cooled the waters through mixing and evaporation.
Read the full article on IRD MAG.
