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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
European seaside destinations experience 'marine heatwave'
With summer in full swing and temperatures soaring across Europe, seaside destinations have experienced a 'marine heatwave'. Sea temperatures globally have been so high recently and July was the third-warmest on record, according to Mercator Ocean International. The non-profit organization is part of the EU's Copernicus Marine Service and monitors the conditions of the ocean, while also providing forecasts. Analysis by the institute found around the world sea temperatures reached an average of 20.80°C. It reached an 'unprecedented' temperature of 26.68°C, beating the previous high of 26.65°C in 2023. According to Monaco Life , areas of the western Mediterranean, including Spain, as well as the central basin close to Italy have seen soaring temperatures. The European destinations have reportedly seen sea surface temperatures breaching 30°C. 'Strong or higher category marine heatwaves' hit 68% of the Mediterranean Sea in July, according to Mercator Ocean International. There were other temperature spikes too, with 63% of the basin exceeding the long-term average by at least 1°C. Meanwhile 40% of the basin saw the heat exceed by at least 2°C. Mercator Ocean International revealed how the western Mediterranean was the worst hit. There have been been plenty of on-land heatwaves too recently. Temperature records were recently broken in at least four weather stations in southern France. The southwestern city of Bordeaux hit a record 41.6C while all-time records were also broken at meteorological stations in Bergerac, Cognac and Saint Girons, according to the national weather service, Meteo France. The heatwave, the country's second this summer, began last Friday and was forecast to last possibly until August 19 or 20.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
The European seaside with waters as hot as hot tubs following 'marine heatwave'
With summer in full swing and temperatures soaring across Europe, seaside destinations have experienced a 'marine heatwave'. Sea temperatures globally have been so high recently and July was the third-warmest on record, according to Mercator Ocean International. The non-profit organisation is part of the EU's Copernicus Marine Service and monitors the conditions of the ocean, while also providing forecasts. Analysis by the institute found around the world sea temperatures reached an average of 20.80°C. This was just lower than 2024's temperatures, at 20.91°C and 2023 which averaged 20.93°C. Around 71% of the global ocean experienced above-average temperatures. The Mediterranean Sea saw record-breaking warmth last month. It reached an 'unprecedented' temperature of 26.68°C, beating the previous high of 26.65°C in 2023. Mercator Ocean International, a non-profit organisation is part of the EU's Copernicus Marine Service and monitors the conditions of the ocean, has revealed the high temperatures According to Monaco Life, areas of the western Mediterranean, including Spain, as well as the central basin close to Italy have seen soaring temperatures. The European destinations have reportedly seen sea surface temperatures breaching 30°C. 'Strong or higher category marine heatwaves' hit 68% of the Mediterranean Sea in July, according to Mercator Ocean International. This made it the second widest coverage on record for such intense conditions. While 95% of the Mediterranean experienced above-average temperatures overall. There were other temperature spikes too, with 63% of the basin exceeding the long-term average by at least 1°C. Meanwhile 40% of the basin saw the heat exceed by at least 2°C. Mercator Ocean International revealed how the western Mediterranean was the worst hit. There have been been plenty of on-land heatwaves too recently. Temperature records were recently broken in at least four weather stations in southern France. The southwestern city of Bordeaux hit a record 41.6C while all-time records were also broken at meteorological stations in Bergerac, Cognac and Saint Girons, according to the national weather service, Meteo France. The heatwave, the country's second this summer, began last Friday and was forecast to last possibly until August 19 or 20.
MTV Lebanon
4 days ago
- Science
- MTV Lebanon
Invasive species thrive as Mediterranean waters hit record high
Rising sea temperatures are fuelling the rapid 'tropicalisation' of the Mediterranean, with venomous Red Sea species like lionfish disrupting ecosystems from Turkey to Malta, scientists warn. When Murat Draman went scuba diving off the coast of the southern Turkish province of Antalya and saw the temperature in the depths was pushing 30C, it didn't surprise him. "We were at a depth of 30 metres (100 feet) this morning and the water was 29C," said Draman, a diving instructor in an area which is experiencing firsthand the rapid "tropicalisation" of the Mediterranean Sea. Encouraged by increasingly warm waters, hundreds of species native to the Red Sea have moved through the Suez Canal and into the eastern Mediterranean, disrupting ecosystems, scientists say. The threat is facing the entire Mediterranean, one of the fastest-warming seas, which this year saw its hottest June and July on record, figures from the Mercator Ocean International research centre show. Draman, who remembers when the water temperatures were 25C in August in the early 2000s, said he had seen dozens of Red Sea species colonising the clear waters of Antalya, where surface temperatures reached nearly 32C this week. The striking but highly venomous lionfish (Pterois miles) with its long spotted fins that measure around 26 centimetres (10 inches), is now at home in such warm temperatures and wreaking havoc in the local ecosystem. "About a decade ago, we saw one or two of them. Now we're talking about 15 or 20 per dive – even more than when we go to the Red Sea," Draman told AFP. "They are big predators. Small fish like gobies suffer a lot, we hardly see them anymore. Such invasive species are disrupting ecosystems across the eastern Mediterranean, the warmest area of the sea and the area that is heating up fastest, explained Professor Gil Rilov, a researcher at the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research institute (IOLR), who also lectures at Haifa University. "The invasion started almost immediately after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869," he said. "But now it's getting warmer, and also (in 2015), the canals got deeper and wider, so more and more new species move in every year," the marine biologist told AFP, admitting some new arrivals could also be beneficial in waters that are becoming too warm for the native species. And many of these species – which have become ubiquitous off the coasts of Turkey, Lebanon and Israel – are now moving further west, he said, pointing to the rabbitfish (Siganus rivulatus) which has recently colonised the waters off Malta, more than 1,700 kilometres (over 1,000 miles) from the Suez Canal. What is happening in the eastern Mediterranean, where many native species have already disappeared, "is a warning", Rilov added, pointing to two possible causes for their disappearance: excessively warm waters and fierce competition with these invasive species. "What is happening here will happen in five, 10 or 20 years in the north and west of the Mediterranean," he predicted. Last week, Mercator figures showed the sea had registered its warmest July on record with an average surface temperature of 26.68C – a figure that is worrying experts. This "tropicalisation" could also occur in the coming years through the Strait of Gibraltar at the far end of the Mediterranean basin, according to a study published in the prestigious US science journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) in April 2024. In it, the authors warned that even in an intermediate climate scenario, the warming of the Atlantic Ocean could see certain species migrate from the southern coasts of west Africa to the western Mediterranean by 2050. A more pessimistic scenario could even see the Mediterranean "entirely tropicalised" by 2100, they warned. Faced with such a threat, Draman said invasive species must be kept as far as possible from protected marine areas "in order to preserve biodiversity". "It is clear that with the absence of Mediterranean predators, species such as lionfish are very comfortable here and their population is increasing year on year," he said.
The Journal
4 days ago
- Science
- The Journal
The Mediterranean is heating up - and invasive fish species are moving in
INCREASINGLY WARM WATERS in the Mediterranean are encouraging hundreds of species native to the Red Sea to move through the Suez Canal and into the eastern Med, disrupting ecosystems, scientists say. The threat is facing the entire Mediterranean, one of the fastest-warming seas, which this year saw its hottest June and July on record, figures from the Mercator Ocean International research centre show. The striking but highly venomous lionfish (Pterois miles), for instance, with its long spotted fins that can measure around 26 centimetres, is now at home in such warm temperatures and wreaking havoc in the local ecosystem. Invasive species are disrupting ecosystems across the eastern Mediterranean, the warmest area of the sea and the area that is heating up fastest. Many of these species are now moving further west. In 2018, the Copernicus Marine Service noted the movements of an invasive fish species called silver-cheeked toad-fish pushing west across the Mediterranean. These fish have 'highly opportunistic behaviour' and attack other fish captured in nets and lines, damaging the fishing industry. The service warned that 'without an intervention', the species would continue its rapid spread. Advertisement Since then, water temperatures have continued to rise and more and more invasive fish species are being drawn further into the Mediterranean. Last week, Mercator figures showed the sea had registered its warmest July on record with an average surface temperature of 26.68 degrees Celsius, a figure that is worrying experts. This 'tropicalisation' could also occur in the coming years through the Strait of Gibraltar at the west end of the Mediterranean basin, according to a study published in the prestigious US science journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) in April 2024. In it, the authors warned that even in an intermediate climate scenario, the warming of the Atlantic Ocean could see certain species migrate from the southern coasts of west Africa to the western Mediterranean by 2050. A more pessimistic scenario could even see the Mediterranean 'entirely tropicalised' by 2100, they warned. Tropicalisation could also occur in the coming years through the Strait of Gibraltar at the west end of the Mediterranean basin, the narrow passage between southern Europe and northern Africa. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Murat Draman, a scuba diving instructor, is experiencing firsthand the rapid 'tropicalisation' of the Mediterranean Sea. Recalling a recent dive, he said: 'We were at a depth of 30 metres and the water was 29 degrees.' Related Reads Prolonged plastic pollution talks end with countries at a deadlock He said he has seen dozens of Red Sea species colonising the clear waters of Antalya off Turkey, where surface temperatures reached nearly 32 degrees this week. 'About a decade ago, we saw one or two of them. Now we're talking about 15 or 20 per dive,' Draman said. 'They are big predators. Small fish like gobies suffer a lot, we hardly see them anymore. Faced with such a threat, Draman said invasive species must be kept as far as possible from protected marine areas 'in order to preserve biodiversity'. 'It is clear that with the absence of Mediterranean predators, species such as lionfish are very comfortable here and their population is increasing year on year,' he said. 'In the Red Sea, lionfish have predators. There are sharks and barracudas. Here, we have none of that.' © AFP 2025
