TE24 International Desk:
High temperatures across Europe this month have triggered a prolonged marine heatwave in the Mediterranean that could wreak havoc on ecosystems and kill several species in the coming weeks, scientists have warned.
Extreme heat in recent weeks has already fueled wildfires and led to thousands of deaths. -related deaths in Europe, but that warming is not limited to land, Reuters reports.
Warmer winds, along with ocean currents and a stable sea level shift, have warmed the coastal Mediterranean waters by several degrees Celsius above the average temperature of 24 degrees Celsius to 26 degrees Celsius for this time of year.
Water between Spain’s Balearic Islands and the Italian coast was up to 5 degrees Celsius warmer than the same period last year, Spain’s Amet weather agency said on Friday (July 29). It warned that temperatures around the Spanish coast would be 3°C to 4°C higher. At least mid-August. Spain’s port authority said in a statement that waters off Cabo de Gata, in the country’s southeastern corner, recorded a 10-year record temperature of around 28 degrees Celsius on Monday (July 25).
Ocean heat waves, which are much less studied than land-based heat waves, are becoming more frequent due to climate change, adding pressure to ecosystems already struggling from overfishing and plastic pollution, ocean scientist Jean-Pierre Gattuso told Reuters that the French coastal city The water temperature near Nice was measured at 29.2°C on July 25 – about 3.5°C higher than the same day last year.”
“This is an absolute record since at least 1994 and most likely before that,” he said. “The ocean and the sea are a kind of sponge for heat,” explained Dr. Gattuso. Between 2015 and 2019, ocean heat waves also hit the Mediterranean, leading to mass die-offs of marine life. conducted, according to a study by Spain’s Institute of Marine Sciences this week.This year’s hot
