Algoa Bay Sea Temperature Dynamics with Marine Heatwave Events

85 marine heatwaves and 87 marine cold-spells were identified in this sea temperature dataset for Algoa Bay, South Africa. The data, authored by Brishan Kalyan and last updated in May 2026, characterizes temperature dynamics, stratification, and interannual variability from 2009 to 2023. It provides a foundational overview for climate resilience and marine management planning.

Use Cases

• Analyze marine heatwave and cold-spell frequency and intensity based on the identified 85 and 87 events
• Model coastal temperature stratification and variability based on described daily, monthly, and interannual timescales
• Inform aquaculture and fisheries management planning based on the described warming and cooling trends at different depths
• Assess climate change resilience for marine biodiversity and energy infrastructure based on the described temperature region clusters

Strengths

• Identifies 85 marine heatwaves and 87 marine cold-spells, providing concrete event data.
• Covers a multi-year time range from at least 2009 to 2023, capturing interannual variability.
• Describes five distinct temperature regions identified via hierarchical clustering, adding spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The primary data file is a DOCX document (494.8 KB), which may not be in a standard machine-readable format for analysis.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Likely contains observational sea temperature measurements, though the specific collection method is not detailed.

Time Range

Covers at least the period from 2009 to 2023, based on mentioned years of cooler and warmer conditions.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-25 11:17:08; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Algoa Bay, a warm-temperate embayment on the south-east coast of South Africa.