Arctic Marine Heatwaves: An Intensifying Threat to a Fragile Ecosystem

As the Arctic warms faster than any other region on Earth, a new threat is emerging from the thinning ice: marine heatwaves (MHWs). These extreme ocean temperature events—previously rare in the ice-covered Arctic—are projected to intensify dramatically throughout the 21st century, bringing with them potentially devastating consequences for marine ecosystems [2-4].