The water in the western Mediterranean Sea has warmed up to extreme temperatures – in some places near Spain, Italy, and France, they have overcome the mark of 30 degrees Celsius. This threatens the flora and fauna of the Mediterranean, reports RTVE.
It is noted that at the end of May, the water temperature in the Western Mediterranean was four to five degrees above normal. In mid-July, it rose above 30 degrees. The State Meteorological Agency of Spain announced signs of a sea heat wave – fixing constant abnormally high temperatures for several days in a row. The agency’s doctor, Juan Jesus Gonzalez, noted that in the long term, the biodiversity of the sea could be harmed.
In addition, extreme weather events are possible. In particular, the likelihood of hurricanes is increasing. The agency also noted that if earlier a heat wave was recorded on average once every 20 years, now this is the second case in the last five.
“The Mediterranean is becoming more and more like the Caribbean,” Gonzalez said. According to him, such values can be repeated more and more often, until “the abnormal becomes normal.”