The Mediterranean Sea is getting hotter and saltier

The Mediterranean Sea is warming faster and becoming more salty, according to a study by a team of Spanish scientists.

A study by the Spanish research institute ICM-CSIC, published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, shows that water temperatures in the western Mediterranean are warming by 2 degrees Celsius every 100 years. 

In some places, such as L’Estartit on the Costa Brava, this warming is even reaching three degrees per century. The results are based on the evaluation of long-term data measured at different depths.

The salinity of the water is also increasing.

The Mediterranean Sea has a higher level of saltiness than the Atlantic Ocean as the evaporation of water is greater than the contribution of the rivers that flow into the sea. Exchanges of water with the Atlantic are also limited because of the narrowness of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Furthermore, the level of the Mediterranean Sea is rising by 2.8 millimetres a year, according to the study. Its rise has accelerated since the 1990s.

Read more via The Brussels Times/Journal of Marine Science and Engineering