Marine heatwave pushes up Mediterranean Sea temperature
The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said Copernicus Marine Service data showed sea surface temperatures on June 22 were more than 5 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average.
The most intense warming in what it called a "marine heatwave" was observed in the western Mediterranean basin, including the Balearic Sea, off Spain, and the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the west coast of Italy, it said.
"We have seen temperatures we were expecting in the middle of August being recorded in June and ... this is why it is considered a record year for temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea," Christos Spyrou, associate researcher at the Academy of Athens research centre for atmospheric physics, said.
He said that the average sea temperatures in June were 3-6 degrees higher than the average between 1982-2023, which was used as a reference period.
"We expected these sea temperatures in August," Spyrou said, adding specific temperatures were not yet available.
"Some species will not be able to reproduce or survive in these conditions, especially in increasing temperatures.'
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to Copernicus, making extreme heatwaves occur earlier in the year, and persist into later months.
Several Italian regions banned outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day on Tuesday, France shut scores of schools and Spain confirmed last month as its hottest June on record as a severe heatwave gripped Europe, triggering widespread health alerts.
A 69-year-old Greek resident who gave his name as Christos said he had noticed the warming waters off Athens.
'I have been coming here for 11 years, I believe the sea is a little warmer than other years. Every year it gets warmer, both in winter and in summer," he said
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Mosquito-borne virus plagues holiday hotspots in the South of France
A mosquito-borne virus that causes debilitating joint pain and fever has begun to spread locally in holiday hotspots in the South of France. Some 712 imported cases of chikungunya were recorded between May 1 and July 1, leading to 14 locally-acquired infections in the same period, according to data from Santé publique France, the French public health agency. While the disease is routinely brought back to France by returning travellers, the number of imported cases reported this year is greater than the previous ten combined, largely because of a major outbreak on the French Indian Ocean territory of Réunion. Chikungunya is primarily spread by the Aedes mosquito (also known as the tiger mosquito) and cannot spread from person to person. But a mosquito can pick up the disease by feeding on an infected individual and then transmit it to new human hosts by biting them. Most of the locally-acquired cases appear to be clustered around Salon-de-Provence and La Crau, two towns on France's Mediterranean coast near Marseille, Toulon and Saint-Tropez. There have also been three locally-acquired cases reported on the island of Corsica and, for the first time, an indigenous case of the virus was reported in the Grand Est region, far to the North East. The high number of imported cases, coupled with the flurry of locally-acquired infections, has raised concerns among public health officials about the potential for the virus to spread more widely in mainland France. 'The occurrence of a first episode of indigenous transmission in the Grand Est region, combined with the precocity and number of episodes already detected, confirms the significant risk of indigenous transmission of chikungunya in mainland France, including in regions that have been free of the disease until now,' Santé publique France said in a statement. 'This is facilitated by the well-adapted nature of the strain of the virus circulating in Réunion and the Indian Ocean to the Aedes albopictus mosquito vector.' Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine, University of East Anglia, said: 'What is most worrying is that the 14 reported cases of chikungunya are spread over multiple departments, suggesting that local spread is already widespread in southern France.' France's public health agency has launched an investigation into the case in the Grand Est region, and has begun implementing containment measures in the worst-affected areas. 'This kind of thing, we know that it can happen but we never see it coming,' said Florence Brau, the mayor of Prades-le-Lez, a commune on the outskirts of Montpellier where insecticides were being used to suppress the local mosquito population and prevent further spread. 'For reasons of medical confidentiality and to avoid people coming to see how things were going, we were instructed not to say which areas were being treated for mosquitoes. The residents concerned received a letter in their mailboxes,' she told Midi Libre, a local newspaper. While chikungunya very rarely causes death, its symptoms are debilitating. They usually begin within a week of being bitten and can include a sudden high fever, fatigue, nausea, reddening of the eyes, sensitivity to light and a rash. But it owes its name, which comes from a word in the Kimakonde language spoken in southern Tanzania meaning 'to become contorted,' to the crippling joint pain it causes. The virus triggers an immune response that leads to inflammation in the joints, causing pain, swelling and stiffness similar to rheumatoid arthritis that can persist for weeks, months and sometimes years after the initial infection. 'A state of exhaustion I've never experienced' Alain, a 73-year-old from Prades-le-Lez, is believed to be the second person to catch chikungunya locally in France this year. The retired civil engineer lived in Africa for 10 years and never caught anything, not even malaria. 'Two-and-a-half weeks ago, I came home from playing pétanque, had a shower, then started itching my knee,' he told Midi Libre. 'I looked and my leg had gone completely red. I told myself that I must've been bitten by a spider. And the following morning, I woke up in a state of exhaustion that I've never experienced.' Then the pain in his joints began to set in, and within days became so severe that he was unable to use his hands to open doors. 'I couldn't manage, for example, to bend my wrist to open doors. I had to use my elbow,' he said. While there is a vaccine available, there is no specific cure or antiviral treatment for chikungunya. Instead, treatment is focused on managing symptoms with rest, fluids, and painkillers. Alain's pain eventually subsided but he is still recovering from the virus. 'I'm very tired and I get out of breath quickly. This morning, I just walked down my street and I had to take a few pauses.' Residents of villages and towns across southeastern France have been ordered to take precautions to fight the spread of mosquitoes, including covering or emptying containers that could collect water, keeping pets indoors, covering swimming pools and closing windows. The health ministry is also urging locals to report sightings of tiger mosquitoes in their communities using an online tool, and to report suspected infections. While a vaccination campaign is underway on Réunion, there are currently no plans to launch a similar scheme in mainland France, The Telegraph understands. Several countries including France, the UK and the United States paused the use of Valneva's chikungunya vaccine among individuals 65 and older in May following reports of serious adverse events, including two deaths and hospitalisations, among the vaccinated on Réunion. As well as grappling with chikungunya, the French health authorities have also reported spikes in imported cases of dengue and Zika, two other tropical diseases spread by the tiger mosquito which is more commonly found in Asia, Africa and South America. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), climate change has helped create favourable conditions for the tiger mosquito to spread since it was first spotted in Europe in the late 1970s, making outbreaks of the diseases they carry more common. Dengue and chikungunya risk becoming endemic in Europe. In the worst-case climate scenarios, the spread of the two viruses could increase to five times the current rate by 2060, according to a recent ECDC study, with countries like Italy, France and Spain to be among those hit hardest. 'The last three years have seen a fairly rapid increase year on year of locally acquired dengue in France, Italy and Spain,' said Prof Hunter. 'We can expect to see increasing reports of both chikungunya and dengue fever from the Mediterranean area over the coming years.' Travellers to France are currently being advised to take the usual precautions to prevent bites from mosquitoes. 'It is essential to take precautions against mosquito-borne infections such as chikungunya while travelling abroad,' Dr Hilary Kirkbride, the Head of Travel Health at the UK Health Security Agency, told The Telegraph. 'Simple steps, such as using insect repellent, covering exposed skin, and sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets, can effectively reduce the risk of mosquito-borne infections.'
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Fact Check: Satirical fiery weather map repurposed to doubt climate change
A screenshot of a German weather broadcast altered to satirically show fiery colours has been shared online with the false suggestion it presents evidence that climate change is a hoax and its effects are being exaggerated. 'If you think climate propaganda is strong in the UK... check out the fiery inferno hell shown on German TV. Climate change is a scam,' said a July 1 Facebook post, opens new tab sharing the screenshot, which had a logo apparently indicating the fiery colours had been broadcast on German news programme Tagesthemen. A similar post on X received more than 2 million views, opens new tab. The comments underneath the Facebook post suggest some had taken it as being genuine. 'They may con the youngsters but us elderly know better,' said one comment, opens new tab under the post. However, a spokesperson for Tagesthemen said in an email the screenshot was fake and that it had not broadcast a lava-like map. The image is consistent, opens new tab with the June 28 broadcast, opens new tab of Tagesthemen - in terms of the presenter, his clothes and the temperatures displayed on the map - indicating the screenshot was taken from this programme and then altered. The X account that first published, opens new tab the screenshot, responding to a Reuters request for comment, said, opens new tab the image was satirical. He added that it's a variation of a long-running joke on German social media, pointing to another altered Tagesthemen broadcast posted two years earlier, opens new tab. Satire. The account that posted the image says it is satire. A spokesperson for German news programme Tagesthemen said the image was fake and that it had not broadcast the lava-like map. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Dentist cracks mystery of world famous Da Vinci drawing after 500 years
It is one of the most famous – and mystifying – drawings in human history. Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man was the attempt by the famous Italian artist to construct the perfectly proportioned male body 500 years ago. But mathematicians have spent years trying to crack the question of how he was able to place the human figure inside a circle and a square. Now, a London-based dentist has uncovered a hidden detail in Da Vinci's masterpiece, which he says reveals the answer. Dr Rory Mac Sweeney points to an equilateral triangle 'hidden in plain sight' in the Italian's notes, which lays the foundation of the drawing's perfect proportionality. The triangle, found between the man's legs, 'isn't just a random shape', Dr Sweeney says, but corresponds to a little-known concept called Bonwill's triangle. Bonwill's triangle is a concept in dental anatomy which is used to understand how human jaws work. The imaginary triangle connects the left and right jaw joints with the spot between your two bottom front teeth – each side is four inches long. The fact that da Vinci was using this shape in a drawing sketched in 1490 drawing reveals his genius understanding of the human body centuries before modern science came along, Dr Sweeney argues. Here is where it gets a little mathsy. When you use one of these triangles in the Vitruvian Man, you can calculate a ratio between the size of the square and the circle in the famous drawing. That ratio is 1.64, which is almost identical to a very important number – 1.6333. That number is called the 'special blueprint number', which you can find everywhere in the most efficient structures in nature. That number pops up everywhere – even stacking oranges – because it governs the tightest way to pack spheres, among other things. Dr Sweeney, who graduated from the School of Dental Science at Trinity College in Dublin, said: 'We've all been looking for a complicated answer, but the key was in Leonardo's own words. 'He was pointing to this triangle all along. What's truly amazing is that this one drawing encapsulates a universal rule of design. 'It shows that the same 'blueprint' nature uses for efficient design is at work in the ideal human body. 'Leonardo knew, or sensed, that our bodies are built with the same mathematical elegance as the universe around us.' The dentist argues his discovery shows the Vitruvian Man is not a beautiful drawing, but a work of 'scientific genius that was centuries ahead of its time'. Sweeney believes he has solved the riddle first set by Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio hundreds of years ago. He said the human body has harmonious proportions, and theorised it could fit perfectly inside a circle and a square, but never outlined how that could be done. Da Vinci then came long and drew exactly that, but never explained how. Sweeney believes his theory puts to bed centuries of speculation as to what measurements the Italian polymath used. The study, published in the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, reads: 'For over 500 years, Leonardo da Vinci's geometric system for establishing the precise relationship between the circle and square in his Vitruvian Man drawing has remained a mystery. 'This paper demonstrates that Leonardo's explicit textual reference to 'an equilateral triangle' between the figure's legs provides his construction method and reveals the anatomical foundation for his proportional choices. 'The analysis shows that Leonardo's equilateral triangle corresponds to Bonwill's triangle in dental anatomy – the foundational geometric relationship governing optimal human jaw function.' Not long after the Vitruvian Man came into being, Da Vinci painted one of the most important religious paintings ever – The Last Supper. More Trending The depiction of Jesus and his disciples was then followed by the most famous artwork of them all, the Mona Lisa, in the early 1500s. The painting attracts millions of visitors annually at the Louvre Museum in Paris alone. Other than his artwork, Da Vinci is known for his vast array of talents. He was also a sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Flying Ant day 2025 – everything you wished you didn't have to know MORE: Charles Bronson 'thrilled' to become godparent to girl, 6 MORE: Scientists want to create human DNA from scratch – but how ethical is it?
