Shafaqna English– On Wednesday(19 Aug 2026), a panel of climate scientists officially attributed the recent surge in ocean temperatures across European waters to anthropogenic global warming, identifying human activity as the predominant force behind these unprecedented thermal anomalies.
Beyond simply reporting the data, the researchers issued a stark caution that such extreme warming poses grave threats to underwater food chains, coral-like habitats, and the livelihoods of millions of people living along Europe’s shorelines, who depend on fishing, tourism, and maritime commerce.
The marine environments surrounding Europe proved equally vulnerable to the scorching summer conditions that afflicted numerous nations across the continent.
Far from being insulated, the Mediterranean basin experienced its own thermal extremes: during July, the basin-wide average sea surface temperature climbed to 27°C (81°F) – a figure that surpasses all previously documented July averages since instrumental records began.
Even more striking, a meteorological buoy positioned several kilometres off the coast of Mallorca registered an astonishing 33°C in the opening days of August, a reading that approaches bathwater temperatures and signals extraordinary oceanic heating.
Source: Reuters