Abstract
This study aims to understand the mechanisms of the activation and
evolution of the marine heatwave (MHW) that occurred in the Gulf of
Mexico (GOM) during summer 2023. We quantified contributions of the
thermodynamic processes that transformed surface waters in the GOM into
an unprecedented large volume of extremely warm water (>
31.8oC). Through water mass transformation analysis of reanalyses data,
we find that the genesis of this MHW was due to the compounding effect
of anomalously warm winter surface water priming the region for a MHW,
coupled with greater exposure to strong solar radiation. Transformation
due to total surface fluxes (sensible and latent heat, solar and
longwave radiation) contributed to the MHW volume at a peak rate of 17.7
Sv (Sv = 106 m3 s-1), while mixing countered the effect by 14.6 Sv at
its peak. Total transformation during this 2023 MHW peaked at 4.9 Sv.