The Med’s record temperatures increase the intensity of storms Experts agree that the soaring temperature of the water triggers ever more powerful atmospheric phenomena The description of the Mediterranean Sea as soup is being mentioned repeatedly this summer on beaches scattered along the coast. Just stand on the shore to tune in and you’ll hear it. This soupy sensation is confirmed by the data.
On August 15, the average surface temperature record for the Med was broken, reaching 28.47oC, according to the Copernicus service, the EU’s Earth Observation Program, which also said that the longest period of average sea temperature above 28oC has been being recorded since August 6. If last year was already extreme, the trend this summer has been even worse.
The sea is affected by marine heat waves , which are becoming more recurrent and intense as a result of global warming. While the rise in water surface temperature is drawing particular attention in the Med right now, for much of 2024 the average measurements for the world’s oceans in general have been out of kilter, setting off alarm bells among scientists. Until June, the average ocean surface temperature was setting daily unprecedented records .
Scientists consider this to be worrying for a number of reasons, including the fact that this heat on the sea’s surface is “fuel” for extreme weather events: storms or DANAs — isolated high-level depressions — such as those that have occurred recently in the Mediter.