Record High Temperatures in the Mediterranean

 The month of January not only marked record-breaking temperatures in Sicily, reaching an unprecedented 24.5 degrees Celsius, but it also signaled distress for the surrounding sea. Over the course of May 2022 to May 2023, the Mediterranean experienced its longest heatwave in the last 40 years, witnessing a sea temperature increase of up to four degrees Celsius, with peaks exceeding 23 degrees Celsius. The western basin bore the brunt of this phenomenon, according to findings from the Careheat project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and involving Enea and Cnr for Italy, with coordination by Cnr. The results have been published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Research Insights:
The research activities of Careheat commenced by studying the heatwave that affected the Mediterranean Sea, beginning with the analysis of satellite data that initially detected the thermal anomaly, recording values significantly higher than the previous heatwave in 2003. Satellite information was then complemented with data from in situ observations at the climate station in Lampedusa, the sole outpost in Europe capable of providing information on interactions between vegetation, atmosphere, and ocean. This encompasses carbon exchanges and all energy-related processes regulating the region's climate.

It was revealed that anomalies in sea surface temperature were closely tied to the prevalence of anticyclonic conditions in the atmosphere, conditions that concurrently caused severe droughts in the Mediterranean region.

Comparing the evolution of the 2022/23 event with the previous 2003 event unveiled aspects related to the climate change of the region. Notably, temperatures well above seasonal averages were observed from early May in the Mediterranean area, continuing into the first half of June, characterized by meteorological conditions typical of later stages of the summer season.