WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Aug. 4 -- William and Mary issued the following news release:
Anyone who has boiled a pot of water understands that it takes both time and energy to raise the temperature, so it may come as a surprise to learn that scientists have long treated marine heatwaves (MHWs) as isolated events. New research led by William & Mary's VIMS & Batten School is challenging that narrative by providing a framework to characterize an ecosystem's cumulative heat exposure from MHWs and the extended periods of warm water that precede and follow them.
The study, published in Nature'sCommunications Earth & Environment, classifies periods of warming leading up to and following MHWs and provides a framework for assessing cumulative heat exposur...