New study reveals warming trend in Türkiye’s all 4 seas
ANKARA
The Turkish State Meteorological Service has unveiled its Seawater Temperature Analysis Report covering the years 1970 to 2023, revealing alarming trends of warming in all of Türkiye’s four seas.
Over the past decade alone, the Marmara Sea has heated up by 1.9 degrees Celsius, while the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas have seen increases of 1.3 degrees each. The Black Sea, too, has experienced a rise of 1.2 degrees in the last 10 years.
The report, compiled from 53 years of data recorded at five different periods, also shows the highest and lowest recorded temperatures throughout the years.
In the Black Sea, the warmest year recorded was 2019, with temperatures peaking at 18.5 degrees Celsius, while the lowest temperature was observed in 1987 at 13.8 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, in the Marmara Sea, the warmest year on record was also 2019, reaching 18.6 degrees Celsius, while the lowest temperature was noted in 1987 at 14.4 degrees Celsius.
Moving to the Aegean Sea, 2018 marked the warmest year recorded registering at 19.8 degrees Celsius, with 1983 recorded as the lowest at 17.7 degrees Celsius.
Lastly, the Mediterranean Sea has observed its warmest year recorded in 2019, hitting 23.8 degrees Celsius, while the lowest temperature was seen in 1992 at 20.6 degrees Celsius.
In addition to the concerning temperature trends, a high population of jellyfish was recently observed in the Mediterranean, which experts deem a warning sign reminiscent of the recent mucilage crisis in the Marmara Sea. The infestation threatens both marine ecosystems and fishing activities in the region.
