The Mallorca Preservation Foundation has warned of the unusual warming that the Mallorcan coast is experiencing, with sea temperatures surpassing the usual values for this time of year. Puertos del Estado data indicates that the Sa Dragonera buoy reached 30.55 degrees on June 30, and just two days later, it reached 30.99 degrees. Although there was a slight decrease below 30 degrees between July 3 and 5, on July 6, the temperature rose again to 30.49 degrees, approaching the highest recorded value for July in Mallorca in 2023.
Similarly, the Mediterranean Sea is warming 20% faster than the global average, and since 1982, the temperature of the Balearic Sea has risen by 1.6 degrees, equivalent to +0.39 degrees per decade, according to data from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) and the Coastal Observation System of the Balearic Islands (Socib).
Since 2005, all years have shown positive thermal anomalies, and since 2020, these anomalies have exceeded 1 degree. In the summer of 2023, anomalies of up to 2.2 degrees were recorded in some areas of the Balearic Sea.
The Mallorca Environmental Sustainability Observatory project of the foundation has warned that these data place the Balearic Sea well above the usual values for this time of year, and in some cases, even 4 degrees above the historical average.
This trend, they have warned, has direct and dangerous consequences for the ecosystem and society, including alterations in marine currents, extreme weather phenomena, proliferation of invasive species, deterioration of Posidonia meadows, ocean acidification, and determines the survival and distribution of many species.
FUENTE