Work

A geospatial skeleton framework for unveiling the 3D structure and dynamics of marine heatwaves from earth observation data

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Understanding the multi-dimensional structure and evolution of geospatial phenomena is a fundamental challenge in Earth system science. Marine heatwaves (MHWs), as critical 4D spatio-temporal events in the ocean, exhibit complex vertical heterogeneity and dynamic interactions across latitude, longitude, depth, and time. However, traditional geospatial methods often oversimplify such phenomena into 2D profiles or homogeneous 3D blobs, limiting their ability to capture intrinsic 3D structure and evolutionary patterns. To fill this gap, we propose a novel data-driven framework for constructing 3D skeleton representations of MHWs, enabling fine-grained analysis of their internal structure and spatio-temporal evolution. This framework represents MHW skeletons as graph structure, where nodes denote localized intensity centers and edges quantify morphological correlations of spatial aggregation between subsurface layers. The MHW skeletons are constructed using graph algorithms applied to each snapshot and tracked over time through five evolutionary operators. Applied to the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific (NEP) and Tropical Pacific in the epipelagic zone (0–200 m), the proposed method reveals distinct vertical structures: ENSO-driven MHW skeletons exhibited greater vertical complexity than coastal MHWs, featuring steep longitudinal slopes (up to 120°). Additionally, two foundational MHW skeleton structures, I-shape and Y-shape, were identified. Notably, dynamic merging and splitting process between subsurface MHWs were captured, highlighting the framework’s capability to uncover hidden interactions in ocean systems. Beyond MHWs, this methodology provides a transferable paradigm for analyzing other 3D geospatial phenomena, enhancing our understanding of their structural complexity and dynamic evolution.

Source: Geo-spatial Information Science

DOI: 10.1080/10095020.2025.2547069

Authors: Jianing Yu, Hengcai Zhang, Peixiao Wang, Feng Lu, Jicai Ning

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research

Language: English

Topic: Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life below water, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,993