Limits to Ocean Surface Temperature in Future Climates

This project aims to investigate whether ocean surface temperatures can increase beyond the 35 degree C threshold for the survival of humans and many other mammal species. This project will use a series of innovative laboratory experiments that will directly test whether parts of the ocean surface can be warmed beyond this limit under natural conditions. Expected outcomes of this project are a new understanding of what sets the maximum surface temperature of the ocean, thereby allowing us to determine whether coastal regions of the humid tropics and sub-tropics will remain habitable for humans and other mammal species in the near future.