Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency and intensity under climate change, posing growing risks to marine ecosystems and fisheries. Satellite-derived sea surface temperature products have been central to detecting these events, yet substantial variation remains in how thermal exposure is defined and translated into ecological impact.
This study synthesises quantitative research (2010-2025) on MHW impacts on marine fauna, focusing on how remote sensing-derived temperature data are used to characterise exposure and link environmental variability to species responses. Across 76 MHW-specific studies, we identify major inconsistencies in exposure definitions, including differences in baseline climatologies, anomaly metrics, and temporal aggregation, which limit comparability across systems and studies.
Modelling approaches are shown to be largely shaped by data availability rather than ecological complexity, with association-based models dominating while spatiotemporal and structured-dependence frameworks remain underutilised. This contributes to a critical gap between the availability of high-resolution environmental data and the capacity to capture dynamic ecological responses to extreme events.
Current modelling approaches are more effective at explaining past MHW impacts than predicting future responses. This highlights the need to prioritise adaptive management over forecasting, using consistent exposure metrics and known vulnerability patterns to support decision-making under increasing thermal extremes.