Europe’s seas hit record highs as climate change drives massive marine heatwave expansion
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution consortium confirmed that global warming is the primary driver behind record-breaking ocean temperatures in Europe this summer. The Mediterranean and Atlantic waters reached up to 6 degrees Celsius above normal, with the Mediterranean averaging over 27C in July. This extreme heat has expanded marine heatwaves to cover 90 percent of the Bay of Biscay and 80 percent of the Western Mediterranean, areas that would have been only half as affected without climate change. The warming is causing severe ecological shifts, including the northward migration of octopuses in the UK and increased jellyfish populations in France, while also intensifying coastal humidity and storm risks.