The role of heat wave events in the occurrence and persistence of thermal stratification in the southern North Sea

Chen, Wei; Staneva, Joanna; Grayek, Sebastian; Schulz-Stellenfleth, Johannes; Greinert, Jens

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1683-2022

Articles | Volume 22, issue 5

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1683–1698, 2022

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1683-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue: Coastal hazards and hydro-meteorological extremes

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1683–1698, 2022

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1683-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 5

Research article

19 May 2022

Research article | 19 May 2022

The role of heat wave events in the occurrence and persistence of thermal stratification in the southern North Sea

Wei Chen et al.

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1683-2022-supplement

Model code and software

NEMO ocean engine Madec Gurvan, Romain Bourdallé-Badie, Jérôme Chanut, Emanuela Clementi, Andrew Coward, Christian Ethé, Doroteaciro Iovino, Dan Lea, Claire Lévy, Tomas Lovato, Nicolas Martin, Sébastien Masson, Silvia Mocavero, Clément Rousset, Dave Storkey, Simon Müeller, George Nurser, Mike Bell, Guillaume Samson, Pierre Mathiot, Francesca Mele, and Aimie Moulin https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6334656

Third generation spectral wave model WAM Cycle 6 A. Behrens https://github.com/mywave/WAM

Short summary

This study links the occurrence and persistence of density stratification in the southern North Sea to the increased number of extreme marine heat waves. The study further identified the role of the cold spells at the early stage of a year to the intensity of thermal stratification in summer. In a broader context, the research will have fundamental significance for further discussion of the secondary effects of heat wave events, such as in ecosystems, fisheries, and sediment dynamics.