Marine heatwaves (MHWs), characterized by extremely warm water events, are increasingly prevalent globally, posing significant threats to marine ecosystems. The Bay of Bengal (BOB), witnessing one of the fastest warming rates among tropical oceans since 2005, coupled with shallow mixed layer induced by low-salinity water, favors the occurrence of strong MHWs. Consequently, coral reefs in the BOB are facing escalating bleaching threats due to the dramatic increase of these extreme events under such a warming climate. Supported by Asian Cooperation Fund Project, we have conducted a very successful joint survey on winter 2019, to investigate MHWs and its potential influence on coral reefs along Myanmar coasts, in cooperation with Pathein Universtiy. The related work has also been conducted in the BOB in the recent years, to explore on some vital issues, including regionality and seasonality of MHWs, relationship between interannual variability of MHWs and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) & Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and their influence on ecosystems. The main our achievements on these issues are introduced in this talk. Moreover, comprehensive future research plans and international cooperation are suggested to enhance the monitoring, understanding and prediction of MHWs in the BOB.

Marine heatwaves, ENSO, IOD, coral reefs