The Mediterranean Sea is overheating and that’s not good news

For the past few days, water temperatures have reached 28 to 30°C along the Mediterranean coast, a record level of 5°C above seasonal averages.

At 7 a.m. on Sunday July 24, swimming was already too hot for many holidaymakers on the Alistro coast in Corsica: 28.9°C! A few hours later, a record value of 30.7°C was recorded here, on the eastern coast of Corsica. On the Côte d’Azur, temperatures also reach exceptional levels, up to 28°C. In general, these water temperatures are 4 to 6°C higher than the averages of season : at this time, the normals are generally around 23 to 25 ° C in the Big Blue. The long period of strong heat southeast, which began in June, was followed by a persistent heat wave in July, with temperatures on land often between 35 and 38°C every day; this situation has led to a real overheating of the Mediterranean Sea.

An increased risk of bad weather in the coming months

This anomaly has many other consequences than those affecting the pleasures of bathing. In terms of biodiversity, some algae endemic cannot stand this heatstroke and are already wasting away. The fauna is also affected, as specified the University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis : fishes exotic dangerous for the local ecosystem arrive from the Indian Ocean towards the Mediterranean.

But another danger is likely to arise after the start of the school year: that of Cevennes episodes and Mediterranean, with violent stormy rains. High water temperature is the main factor influencing the potency of severe weather autumn in the Mediterranean.