The surface of the Mediterranean Sea alarmingly reached its highest recorded temperature, it was made public on Friday.
According to the Spanish Maritime Institute, the daily median temperature of the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, August 15th was 28.9 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit).
Persistent marine heatwave in the Mediterranean
The record-breaking temperature has not come as a surprise to those following recent meteorological and climatological data. Due to a prolonged marine heatwave that has persisted in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, there has been one record-breaking temperature after the other.
A shocking 4°C to 5°C above the 1991 to 2020 average has been recorded across half of the surface of one of the world’s most well-known seas. The affected area is not concentrated in one place, as it actually extends from the eastern to the western basins, covering nearly the entirety of the sea’s length.
It has to be noted that, in July 2023, the surface temperature of the Mediterranean Sea broke yet another record. The temperature was at 28.71 degrees Celsius (83.69 degrees Fahrenheit.)
These figures might seem low compared to the temperatures inhabitants of the Mediterranean normally experience on land. However, sea surface temperatures are always much lower in the summer months compared to the scorching heat that covers most parts of southern Europe and northern Africa from May to September.
Greece experiencing scorching temperatures
The devastating forest fires that broke out near Athens at the beginning of this week and burned huge areas of the northeastern suburbs of the capital are not unrelated to the general situation in the Mediterranean Sea.
The tragic event that left one woman dead and thousands of hectares in ashes was yet another natural disaster in Greece’s recent history. Along with the widespread destruction of homes, businesses, and public venues in villages and suburbs affected by the blaze, Greeks are feeling the consequences of rising temperatures in the broader area of the Mediterranean Sea.
The wildfire started at Varnavas, northeast of Athens, and spread southwards closer to the Greek capital exceptionally fast. Hundreds of houses burned down either completely or partially in the suburbs of Vrilissia and Nea Penteli, whilst businesses and shops were seen on media footage being engulfed by the raging blazes.
The Civil Protection Authority of the country activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism with many European nations sending firefighting aid to Greece. This environmental trend also has significant repercussions on Greece’s political landscape. The general sentiment in Greece is anger with the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as the country seems to be hit by one environmental disaster after another.
