Marine heatwaves can dramatically shift habitat for wildlife, study finds

The study found that a heatwave in the Pacific in 2014-2015 shifted surface temperatures more than 700 km along the west coast of the US.

Smooth hammerhead shark are among the species whose range shifted significantly in response to a marine heatwave (Richard Herrmann/NOAA)

Marine heatwaves can shift suitable habitat for sea turtles, whales and other wildlife by thousands of kilometres in the world’s oceans, research suggests.

While periods of unusually hot temperatures in part of the ocean are known to hit species which cannot move, such as corals, many creatures in the seas can relocate to find their preferred conditions.