On August 15, the average daily surface temperature of the Mediterranean Sea reached 28.90°C, setting a new record after the 28.71°C measured on July 24, 2023, said Justino Martinez, a researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM) and the Catalan Institute ICATMAR.
These preliminary measurements are based on satellite data from the European Copernicus Naval Observatory dating back to 1982.
“The maximum temperature of August 15 was recorded on the Egyptian coast, in El-Arish (31.96ºC), but “this value should be treated with caution” before a more thorough verification, said Justino Martinez.
For two consecutive summers, the Mediterranean has been warmer than the exceptional heatwave summer of 2003, when the daily mean temperature was measured at 28.25°C on 23 August. This record stood for 20 years.
Yesterday’s new record follows a hot July for the Mediterranean region, one of the hot spots of climate change, which has been hit by heat waves, drought and fires.
Sea heatwaves in the Mediterranean severely affect fish, molluscs and plants, favor invasive species and potentially increase the intensity of rainfall due to increased evaporation.
Today, what is remarkable is not the measurement of the maximum temperature on a given day, but the observation of a long period characterized by very high temperatures, without breaking a record, explained Justino Martinez when the 2023 record was equaled.
“Starting in 2022, surface temperatures are anomalously high for a long time, even when accounting for climate change,” he said.
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