The Rising Temperature of the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is experiencing unprecedented heat, with its waters registering their highest daily temperature on Thursday, August 15th, as announced by the main Spanish maritime research center to Agence France-Presse (AFP). This new record surpasses the previous one set in 2023, with a median daily surface temperature of 28.9°C.
Contributing Factors and Implications
Various research institutes have attributed the warming of the seas and oceans, where around 90% of greenhouse gas emissions are absorbed, to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. The Mediterranean has been warming by an average of 0.4°C per decade since the 1980s. This continuous rise in temperature poses significant challenges to marine life and ecosystems, influencing everything from species behavior to precipitation patterns.
Ongoing Trends and Concerns
Following a scorching July across the Mediterranean basin, marked by heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires, the new temperature record set on August 15th further underscores the region’s status as a climate change hotspot. Despite the occasional extremes, it is the sustained period of high temperatures, rather than individual records, that is particularly alarming from a climate perspective. This trend of elevated sea surface temperatures is becoming the new norm, reflecting the broader challenge of global warming.
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