The fatal consequences of a warm sea

The European Union Service has reported record temperatures in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean that affect our weather.

This summer is not only exceptional with air and soil temperatures. Ocean surface temperatures have also reached a record high. As the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation program showed with a new assessment this week, sea surface temperatures are unusually high around the world. In July, the average value of all oceans is 20.96 °C. This is slightly higher than the previous March 2016 record value of 20.95 degrees. However, the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean were particularly affected. The water temperatures of these seas in the immediate vicinity of Europe are responsible for such extreme weather as the large amounts of precipitation in Slovenia, Carinthia, and Styria.

According to Copernicus, the waters of the Mediterranean have warmed much above the average for similar periods in recent years. In July, it reached 28.71 degrees, the highest daily temperature ever recorded. The peak was on July 24 with a plus 5.5° anomaly (above average) along the coasts of Italy, Greece and North Africa. In general, the water temperature of the Mediterranean in July was 0.51 garde above average.