The Mediterranean Sea has reached its highest temperature on record, Spanish researchers announced on Friday.
This new peak surpasses the previous record set just last year, highlighting the ongoing impact of climate change on marine environments.
On Thursday, the daily median sea surface temperature in the Mediterranean reached an unprecedented 28.90°C.
This information was confirmed by Spain’s leading marine sciences institute, Institut de Ciencies del Mar, and the Catalan Institute of Research for the Governance of the Sea.
Justino Martinez, a researcher at the institute, provided detailed insights into this record-breaking event.
“The maximum sea surface temperature record was broken in the Mediterranean Sea yesterday… with a daily median of 28.90°C,” the institute reported. The previous record, set on July 24, 2023, stood at 28.71°C.
The highest temperature on August 15 was recorded off the Egyptian coast at El-Arish, reaching 31.96°C. However, Martinez cautioned that this figure is preliminary and subject to further verification by human checks.
These preliminary readings for 2024 were obtained using satellite data from the European Copernicus Observatory, which has been maintaining records since 1982.
This recent development marks the second consecutive summer in which the Mediterranean Sea has experienced higher temperatures than during the exceptional heatwave of 2003.
During that heatwave, the daily median sea surface temperature was measured at 28.25°C on August 23, a record that had remained unbroken for two decades.
“What is remarkable is not so much to reach a maximum on a given day, but to observe a long period of high temperatures, even without breaking a record,” Martinez explained.
The extended periods of high sea surface temperatures have been particularly notable since 2022.
Martinez emphasized that these prolonged high temperatures are occurring within the broader context of climate change.
“Since 2022, surface temperatures have been abnormally high for long periods, even in a climate-change environment,” he said.
The rising temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea have significant implications for marine life and coastal ecosystems.
Warmer waters can lead to increased stress on marine species, potentially disrupting migration patterns, breeding cycles, and food availability.
Additionally, the heightened temperatures can exacerbate the spread of invasive species and harmful algal blooms, further threatening the delicate balance of marine ecosystems.
The Mediterranean region is already grappling with the broader impacts of climate change, including more frequent and intense heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and shifting weather patterns.
The record-breaking sea surface temperatures add another layer of urgency to the need for comprehensive climate action and mitigation strategies.
In response to these alarming trends, researchers and environmentalists are calling for increased monitoring and research efforts to better understand the long-term impacts of rising sea temperatures.
There is also a growing emphasis on the need for robust climate policies and international cooperation to address the root causes of global warming and to protect vulnerable marine environments.
As the Mediterranean Sea continues to set new temperature records, the region faces an uncertain future.
The latest data serves as a stark reminder of the pressing need to address climate change and its far-reaching impacts on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
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