Islands Adrift
March 13, 2024
Sea Surface Salinity
March 13, 2024

Literal
Heat Waves

Lofoten archipelago

Coastal areas are obviously most affected by rises in sea level. Their impact especially affects the region at high latitudes, where temperatures are rising faster than nearer the equator.

© Sentinel-1, Copernicus, ESA

OCEAN WARMING

The ocean absorbs approximately 93% of the excess heat from the atmosphere caused by greenhouse gas emissions, altering its physical and chemical properties. Since 1980, satellites have monitored rising sea levels, ocean currents, sea ice melt and heat content, revealing the impacts of climate change.

Global sea surface temperature can only be observed from space. Satellites provide daily measurements of the changes in the sea surface temperature. Ocean warming accounts for almost half of the rises of sea level observed.

Giovanni Coppini

Director of Ocean Predictions and Applications

Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici - CMCC
Lecce

The Mediterranean Sea is a focal point for studying marine heat waves because the number of events, their duration and their intensity are increasing. The basin is projected to be a real hotspot for climate change and global warming.
Other Stories