The intensive Mediterranean sea heat wave grows fears for marine life

A warmer water in the sea may sound attractive to your holiday immersion, but the recent oceanic heat wave in the Mediterranean is so intense scientists to fear potentially devastating effects on marine life.

The temperature of the sea surface regularly passed 30 ° C by the shore of Mallorca and elsewhere in late June and early July, in places six or seven degrees above the usual.

This is probably more warm than the local entertainment pool in the center.

It is the most extreme Western Med sea wave, ever registered for the time of the year, affecting large areas of the sea for weeks.

The heat seems to be cooled, but some species are struggling to deal with such prolonged and intense heat, with potential shocks of fish stocks.

In order to give you some idea of these temperatures, most pools in the free time center are heated to approximately 28C. Competitive pools are slightly cooler at 25-28c, says World Aquatics.

Children’s pools are a little warmer, recommended at 29-31c or 30-32c for babies, according to the Association of Swimming Teachers.

Balm temperatures can be hidden threats. Harmful bacteria and algae often spread more easily to greater seawater -which is not treated by cleaning chemicals like your local pool.

Marine temperatures of 30 ° C or more are not unprecedented in Med in late summer.

But they are extremely unusual for June, according to data from the European Climate Service Copernicus, Mercator Ocean International and measurements in Spanish ports.

“What is different this year is that 30C sea temperatures have arrived much earlier. This means that we can expect summer to be more intensive and longer,” says Martha Marcos, Assistant Professor at the University of Balearic in Spain.

“I grew up here, so we are used to the heat waves, but this is becoming more and more intense.”

“We are all very, very surprised by the magnitude of this heat wave,” added Aida Alvera-Ascat, an oceanographer at the University of Liège in Belgium.

“It’s a matter of great concern, but it’s something we can expect to happen again in the future.”

Sea thermal waves are becoming more intense and longer lasting, as humanity continues to release gases to heat the planet in our atmosphere, mainly by burning coal, oil and gas.

In fact, the number of days of extreme heat on the sea surface globally has tripled over the last 80 years, according to A study published earlier this yearS

“Global warming is the main engine of sea thermal waves … It essentially transfers heat from the atmosphere to the ocean. It is very simple,” said Dr. Marcos.

The Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable because it is a bit like a bath, largely surrounded by continents rather than an open ocean.

This means that water cannot escape easily so that its surface is heated quickly in the presence of warm air, sunny sky and light winds – As it happened in JuneS

For this reason, Med is a “hot spot for climate change,” said Karina von Schukman of Mercator Ocean International, a non -profit research organization.

The heat reached its peak as June turned to July, after which the stronger winds allowed the deep, cooler waters to mix with the warm surface on top and reduce temperatures.

But temperatures remain above average and there may be consequences for marine life that we do not yet know.

Most lives have a temperature threshold beyond which it cannot survive, although it varies a lot between species and individuals.

But marine creatures can also suffer from prolonged exposure to heat, which essentially drains their energy in the summer to a point where they can no longer cope.

“I remember that four years ago I dived in September in late summer, we found skeletons of many, many, many populations,” says Emma Chebrian, an ecologist at the Advanced Research Center in Spain.

Sea algae and sea grasses act a little like the forests of the Mediterranean, the home of hundreds of species, as well as the lock of carbon dioxide that warms the planet.

“Some of them are well adapted to the typical Mediterranean warm temperatures, but in fact, they often cannot withstand the conditions of marine thermal wave, which are becoming more and more essential,” said Dr. Sebrian.

Heat can also cause what environmentalists call “sbethal effects” in which species essentially go into survival mode and do not reproduce.

“If we begin to see environmental impacts, it will almost certainly have an impact on human societies (including) fishing,” warned Dan Smale, a senior research associate at the Sea Biological Association in Plymouth.

“We’ll have to wait and see really, but since temperatures are so high in the summer, it’s really disturbing.”

The fast warming honey is a “canar in the coal mine for climate change and sea ecosystems,” he added.

Excessive ocean heat can also recharge extreme time.

The warmer seas mean additional evaporation, adding to moisture in the atmosphere, which can nourish extreme rainfall.

If other conditions are correct, this can lead to a pernicious flood as it happens in Libya in 2023 and Valencia in 2024S

And warmer waters can reduce the cooling effect that coastal populations usually get from the sea breeze.

This could make things very uncomfortable if there is another heat wave in the summer, warned Dr. Marcos.

“I’m almost sure it will be awful.”