Marine heatwaves (MHW) are periods of extreme warm temperatures mainly affecting the surface layers of the sea, that can persist for numerous days and cause devastating and long-term impacts on the ecosystems. Driven by the warming climate, accelerating trends indicate future increase in intensity and frequency of MHW. Already observed impacts on the marine ecosystems include, changes in biological production, toxic algal blooms, losses of kelp forests, coral bleaching and mass mortality events, globally. Sessile organisms, such as marine forests (large brown algae, seagrass, coral) are particularly impacted by MHW, with mass mortalities being restricted to shallower waters, suggesting a potential refugia with depth. Although some heatwaves have been extensively documented and analyzed, a global overview of MHW and their impacts on marine forests remains largely unexplored.
The aim of this internship is to compile available information on the impacts of MHW on marine forests, globally. As MHW mostly impact the shallower regions of the sea, the compilation of such information may enable the detection of a depth - impact gradient across species, identifying refugia of MHW with depth. The student will be guided and trained to perform data collection and handling, with a possibility of publishing the results.
