This study analyzes the ocean heat budget (OHB) in the eastern North Atlantic (0 ° –60 ° N, 20 ° W) using monthly ERA5 data from 1980 to 2024. The four main surface fluxes—short-wave and long-wave radiation, latent and sensible heat—were examined to characterize meridional and seasonal variability, detect long-term trends, and identify their physical drivers. The OHB shows a three-zone structure: a tropical heat sink (0–20 ° N) dominated by short-wave input up to +250 ± 35 W m − 2 ; a subtropical transition zone (20–40 ° N) where latent heat loss peaks near 30 ° N ( ∼ − 130 ± 23 W m − 2 ); and a subpolar heat source (40–60 ° N) driven by wintertime turbulent fluxes exceeding −150 ± 48 W m − 2 . Between 1980 and 2024, sea-surface temperature rose by ∼ 0.27 ± 0.05 °C dec − 1 and specific humidity by ∼ 0.20 ± 0.04 g kg − 1 dec − 1 . Latent-heat flux trends reached +2.5 ± 1.1 W m − 2 dec − 1 in the subtropics, while sensible-heat flux decreased by ∼ 1 ± 0.22 W m − 2 dec − 1 north of 50 ° N. These contrasting tendencies indicate a latitudinal reorganization of air–sea heat exchange: enhanced evaporative cooling near 30 ° N and reduced winter heat loss at subpolar latitudes. Net short-wave radiation remains the main contributor to the OHB (32 ± 7–62 ± 5%), while latent heat flux drives most of the variability. Together, the results point to a progressive redistribution of ocean heat under ongoing climate change. • The ocean heat budget in the eastern North Atlantic shows a robust three-zone latitudinal structure, with tropical heat uptake up to +50 W m −2 , near-neutral balance in the subtropics, and subpolar heat loss exceeding −150 W m −2 in winter. • Subtropical latitudes around 30° N exhibit the strongest long-term changes, including sea-surface warming of ~0.22 °C dec −1 and an intensification of latent heat loss reaching ~2.5 W m −2 dec −1 . • Climate-driven reorganization of air–sea heat exchange is characterized by enhanced evaporative cooling in the subtropics and a reduction of winter heat loss north of 50° N, leading to a redistribution of ocean heat across latitude.
Portaĺes-Juli'a et al. (Sun,) studied this question.