According to the Balearic Coastal Prediction and Observation System (SOCIB), there have been 150 days so far this year when the temperature of the surface of the Balearic Sea can be classified as having been "extreme".
Researcher Mélanie Juza, a specialist in physical oceanography, says that temperatures haven't just been a little above normal. "Sea temperatures have been extreme for weeks and months." These give rise to marine heat waves. She explains: "A marine heat wave is when the temperature is not just above normal, but that it is above 90% of historical data. So, we are in a situation of extreme temperatures. That was the case in June, the whole of July and a large part of August."
SOCIB uses data going back to 1982. These data come from satellite observations and from real-time monitoring.
2022 was a record year, abnormally warm, and the past winter was the second warmest since the records began in 1982. Meteorological spring 2023 - April to June - was the warmest for the Balearic Sea for forty years. This July was the warmest July ever recorded. There was a regional average of 27C, an anomaly of 2.6 degrees above normal. Juza points out that the temperature of the sea surface does vary. There are colder places and others that are warmer, such as inland coves and where there are no currents. There were peaks in July of 28.1C.
Graph of the average monthly water temperature in Mallorca. Photo: seatemperature.info
This August was the third warmest on record, with an average of 27.5C, an anomaly of plus 1.7 degrees compared to historical data. An average maximum of 29C was reached on August 25, the third highest ever in the Balearic Sea, only behind the 29.2C on August 13, 2022 and the 29.1C in August 2003. As the Aemet met agency has pointed out, air temperatures this summer were the third highest ever after 2022 and 2003.
Various scientific studies have highlighted the devastating consequences of marine heat waves. These impact marine species and habitats, both on the surface and in deep waters. Damage includes coral bleaching, the deterioration of ocean meadows, invasions of harmful algae, massive mortalities of organisms, and changes in behaviour and the distribution of marine species. In turn, these have negative consequences for elements of the blue economy, such as fishing and tourism.
Juza stresses that it is particularly important to analyse the effects of the hot sea on Posidonia Oceanica, the sea grass that is highly sensitive to temperature. This protected marine plant is essential for the health of the sea that surrounds the islands because it provides habitats for other species, protects juvenile fish, and absorbs a large portion of anthropogenic carbon emitted into the atmosphere - anthropogenic refers to the influence of humans on nature.
Warmer than normal seawater can also fuel and intensify extreme weather phenomena, such as autumn storms with their torrential rains. Juza notes that in mid-September the Balearic Sea was in the midst of yet another marine heat wave. There was an average of 26C, an anomaly of plus 1.4 degrees.
The concern that arises from the SOCIB data is that temperatures considered to be extreme are becoming common. Juza explains that, by definition, an extreme phenomenon should occur once a year or every few years. "But this year alone, we have had six marine heat waves. That this is starting to be common is very bad news." And as to this year, as she points out, there are still some 100 days left to go.
1982 ?? (-: That will confirm man is responsible for climate change then: I can't speak for Mallorca but 75 was the most extreme heatwave I remember in the UK and there were plenty before my time as our parents will confirm, maybe weather cycles aren't crazy abnormal... Man made pollution has to be dealt with and certainly affects our environment but they need to go back to the dinosaurs and get their thoughts on mans impact on climate change. Of course you would need a psychic as they all drowned.
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1982 ?? (-: That will confirm man is responsible for climate change then: I can't speak for Mallorca but 75 was the most extreme heatwave I remember in the UK and there were plenty before my time as our parents will confirm, maybe weather cycles aren't crazy abnormal... Man made pollution has to be dealt with and certainly affects our environment but they need to go back to the dinosaurs and get their thoughts on mans impact on climate change. Of course you would need a psychic as they all drowned.