In just 25 years:

Mediterranean temperature has risen by more than 1 degree

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/David)

The average surface temperature of the Mediterranean Sea has risen by more than one degree Celsius in 25 years. Last year, temperatures reached their highest level since measurements began.

This is the result of measurements carried out by the Italian research institutes ENEA and INGV in the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas on the Genoa-Palermo route.

Water also warmer in deep sea layers
In addition to the increase in the average surface temperature, the "thermal snapshot" of the Mediterranean, which was created over the course of 100 campaigns with more than 3,000 probes, also shows an increase in the deeper sea layers.

In addition, the analysis of the measurements testifies that the warming was above 0.4 degrees between 2013 and 2016, followed by a slight decrease and a stationary phase in the following years and a gradual rebound from 2021 to September 2023, when it reached its maximum.

"The series of temperature data along the same ocean track is crucial for climate studies as it allows us to assess the temporal evolution. This allows us to see whether there has been warming or cooling in the monitored area over time," the ENEA researchers explained in a press release.

Models indicate further rise
"The available models indicate a possible further rise in water temperatures. We will continue to measure sea temperatures to determine whether these predictions will come true," emphasized Simona Simoncelli, a researcher at the INGV institute.