Joaquim Tintoré, director of the SOCIB coastal observation system in Mallorca

Joaquim Tintoré, the director of SOCIB. | Teresa Ayuga

Andrew EdePalma21/07/2022 08:50
TW
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Mélanie Juza, a researcher at the SOCIB coastal observation system, says that the average temperature of the surface of the Balearic Sea on July 18 was 27.58 degrees, which was 2.98 degrees above the average for this particular day in the last 40 years.

She explains that there is a prediction model for up to 10 days. "This tells us that, on July 27, the average temperature will be 29.03 degrees - 3.79 degrees above the average. We are talking about an anomaly of almost four degrees."

"These high values ​​affect the marine ecosystem. They are huge anomalies that coincide with atmospheric heat waves. A single heat wave can have limited effects, but if they happen very often, the impact on the marine ecosystem will be negative."

The highest daily average temperature recorded in the Balearic Sea was on August 10, 2003 - 29.1 degrees. This was an average, as there were buoys and sensors that recorded values ​​above 30 degrees.

In recent years, the concept of heat wave has been extended to the marine environment, the definition of a marine heat wave being when the temperature is higher than usual for at least five consecutive days. Although the study of marine heat waves is recent, there is already enough data to establish trends and to examine the impact on marine ecosystems and on the weather.