Heat waves in southern Europe are not only raising temperatures on Earth. The waters of the Mediterranean are also very warm at that time of the year. Scientists fear aquatic ecosystems will be affected by rising temperatures.
According to scientists, the water in some places is six degrees warmer than usual at this time of year Watchman. The paper reported that there are concerns that already fragile ecosystems will be further threatened by the heat.
Mediterranean waters are warmer than normal since May. Off the east coast of the French island of Corsica, the water temperature peaked at 30.7 degrees.
The water is also warmer in other places. The water temperature between the Italian coast and the Spanish Balearic Islands (including Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza) is about 28 degrees. This is 5 degrees higher than last year. The waters in the French port city of Nice were also warm in June: with 29.2 degrees, the temperature was 3.5 degrees higher than in 2021.
700 marine creatures in danger of extinction
The Mediterranean is a very fertile sea. The sea covers less than 1 percent of the world’s water surface, but is home to at least 10 percent of all marine life. With over 20,000 plants and animals, there is a great deal of biodiversity in the Mediterranean. Because of the temperature now rising, corals, crustaceans and fish suffer greatly.
Although many animals are able to adapt to new conditions in the sea, at least 700 animal species are threatened with extinction, an ecologist told the French newspaper. La Provence.
The water temperature is rising in part because of the heat waves that have swept across southern Europe in recent weeks. The World Wildlife Fund reported last year that the Mediterranean is warming 20 percent faster than the global average. This makes it the fastest sea heat in the world.
