Climate change has a global impact on the environment. Among the many consequences, the Mediterranean Sea is getting increasingly warmer.
After a temperature record broken this summer, the Mediterranean Sea continues to suffer the impact of climate change. Indeed, on August 15, the surface of the Mediterranean Sea reached 28.90°C, beating the previous record recorded in 2023.
From year to year, the temperatures recorded in the Mediterranean Sea increase, creating a phenomenon of “tropicalization”. Since the 1980s, the Mediterranean has warmed by 0.4°C per decade on average, AFP said.
Following this pace, Météo-France warned this summer, announcing that the water temperature could exceed 30°C locally.
Despite the end of summer, the warming of the Mediterranean Sea persists. Last weekend, the water temperature reached 20°C on the Côte-d'Azur, according to data from the meteorological institute. The softness of the water attracted swimmers, something unprecedented for the month of November.
A significant impact on biodiversity
In an interview given to Franceinfo in 2023, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, CNRS researcher at the Villefranche-sur-Mer Oceanography Laboratory (Alpes-Maritimes), explained that 29°C, “it is typically a temperature that the found in the tropical zone.
This phenomenon of “tropicalization” causes a change in the biodiversity present in the Mediterranean Sea. Tropical species, like the blue crab, are taking advantage of this rise in temperatures to spread.
On the other hand, certain other species are set to disappear, since 20% of fish and invertebrates exploited in the eastern Mediterranean could disappear locally by 2060, IPCC experts have warned.
