Sizzling temperatures spark marine heatwave
Not only did the blistering heat in July set forests and towns alight, it also markedly increased the temperature of coastal waters, giving rise to a phenomenon known as a marine heatwave.
In fact, when air tempratures peaked around July 25-27, the surface of the sea reached up to 30 degrees Celsius, as recorded in the southern Ionian Sea.
Marine heatwaves also have negative effects on the ecosystem and are becoming more frequent with climate change.
“Upward deviations began in Greece, in the central Aegean and southern Crete, with a peak on July 25 and 26 and at the end of the month,” said Sofia Darmaraki, a physicist-oceanographer working with the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), noting that the maximum deviations from the climatic values of the 1981-2010 period were large, up to 4 degrees Celsius in many areas and even 6 degrees in some parts.
