VIDEO Marine heat wave in the Mediterranean followed from space

Sep. 22 () –

The Mediterranean was affected this summer by one of the most intense marine heat waves observed in the satellite erawith surface temperatures 5 degrees Celsius above average.

CAREHeat (DeteCtion and ThreAts of MarinE Heat Waves), a project funded by ESAaims to develop novel strategies to identify marine heat waves, assess their status and trends, and understand their impact on marine life.

The project, which began in March 2022, used near real-time sea surface temperature data available from the Copernicus Marine Service, and has been able to detect and monitor the Mediterranean marine heat wave that occurred this summer.

The team found that this particularly extreme heat wave began in the second half of April and spread across the central and northwestern Mediterranean Sea. In the area, the increase in sea surface temperature it accelerated around May 10 and, in almost 10 days, a sharp change in temperature was observed, from 16 °C to 22 °C.

PERSISTS IN SEPTEMBER

In the Ligurian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean, the maximum intensity of the heat wave was reached on July 21, when the average anomaly reached 5 °C. As of September 13, the heat wave in the Mediterranean is still present.

“We are still seeing an average sea surface temperature anomaly of around 2°C, which intensified in the northwestern Mediterranean, where the anomaly exceeds 4°C,” he said. it’s a statement Rosalia Santoleri, coordinator of the CAREHeat project. A video illustrates the monitoring of the temperature anomaly.

The team will continue to monitor the evolution of this heat wave with the aim of understanding how the temperature signal propagates below the surface, what are the drivers of this long-lasting extreme event and what impact it has on the Mediterranean marine ecosystem.

Marine heat waves are extreme increases in ocean temperature over an extended period of time. Their magnitude and frequency have damaging impacts on marine ecosystems, they threaten marine biodiversity and have a negative impact on the fishing, aquaculture and tourism industries.

Higher water temperatures associated with marine heat waves can also cause extreme weather events, such as tropical storms and hurricanes, and disrupt the water cycle, increasing the likelihood of floods, droughts, and wildfires on land.

As global ocean temperatures continue to rise, marine heat waves have become widespread and are only expected to increase in intensity, duration, and frequency in the future due to human-induced climate change.