The Mediterranean is enduring a
marine heat wave (MHW) and the temperature on May 10 was four
degrees higher than the average for the 1985-2005 period,
according to the initial results of the CAREHeat project.
The surface water temperature hit peaks of over 23° Celsius,
according to the findings.
The project, financed by he European Space agency and featuring
the participation of Italian research agencies ENEA and CNR,
seeks to develop strategies to identify MHWs and determine their
effect on marine ecosystems and economic activities such as
fishing.
The results confirm the findings of last month's Mare Caldo (Hot
Sea) report report by Greenpeace, which said Italy's seas are
feeling the effects of the climate crisis in a big way, with
rising water temperatures causing drastic changes to marine
biodiversity.
The second edition of the Mare Caldo report said species that
are sensitive to the special nature of Italy's seas are
disappearing while species that are better suited to warmer
waters, often alien ones, are proliferating.
Among other things, this research detected an abnormal sea water
"heat wave" in June 2020 off the island of Elba and in the
protected marine area of Portofino, with temperatures climbing
by 1.5 degrees centigrade from their monthly average within days
and staying at that level for a period of three weeks.
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