The sea is one of the best indicators of climate change, if not the best. Therefore, it is not surprising that more than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped on the planet by the greenhouse effect ends up in the oceans. In this context, the Balearic Sea continues to break temperature records every summer. Over the last ten days, it has reached an average of 29.5 degrees, which is exactly 3.7 degrees above normal. The absolute record was set on the 15th, according to researcher Mélanie Juza of the Balearic Coastal Observation and Prediction System, in an interview with Efe.
“The entire western Mediterranean is experiencing very high temperatures this August, with regional mean anomalies exceeding 3 °C compared to the reference period, which is 1982–2015,” he notes, adding that the anomalies are slightly more pronounced in French waters. This difference of nearly four degrees in the average is staggering, he says.
The highest temperature ever recorded in the archipelago’s waters –detected by satellites during the first half of August– reached 29.2 degrees. Similarly, the buoys operated by Puertos del Estado and Socib have also recorded especially high temperatures. The Dragonera buoy, for example, recorded a historic high of 33 degrees on August 5 (more than a degree above the previous record, set in 2024). “Every day since then, around noon or 3 p.m., it has reached 30°C, and on the 16th it reached 31.2°C,” explains Juza.
From anomaly to a worrying trend
The series of temperature records being set in the Balearic Sea is no longer just a scientific anomaly; it has become a cause for concern across all sectors, from environmental conservation to port management and tourism planning. While scientific researchers and environmental organizations emphasize the scope of the problem, authorities are gradually becoming aware of the issue and are preparing measures in response to a scenario that will affect both the ecosystem and the islands’ economy.
Notably, prominent figures in the scientific community, such as Gabriel Jordà and Salud Deudero, have spoken out about the urgency of the situation in recent forums. Jordà, a researcher at the Oceanographic Center of the Balearic Islands, noted that the temperature of the Mediterranean had risen by 1.1 degrees since 2000 and linked this warming to an increase in extreme heat events and sea level rise. For her part, Deudero, director of the same center, emphasized the need to act quickly, arguing that the technology and knowledge to improve the situation exist, but that, in her opinion, political, social, and business will is needed to act before it is too late.
For her part, IMEDEA researcher Núria Marbà maintains that the protection of marine areas cannot be focused solely on fishing, but must also encompass habitats and all human activities along the coast, as well as improve water quality and restore seagrass meadows. In this regard, the protection of posidonia is of particular importance, as rising temperatures are exacerbating other pressures on the posidonia meadows of the Balearic Islands. Research has already documented increased mortality and a decrease in density in Posidonia oceanica meadows, as well as impacts on gorgonians, corals, sponges, and bivalves during marine heatwaves.
In summary, the experts present agree that the warming of the Mediterranean must be addressed as a top-tier environmental and economic problem. For now, the Balearic Government has already announced the activation of the Inunbal plan at the pre-alert stage ahead of the arrival of the ‘dana’ and storm season. In this regard, she has warned that the rise in sea temperature could be a decisive factor in intensifying these phenomena and, consequently, making them more dangerous; it’s not that every torrential rain event is caused by the water temperature, but it is true that exceptionally warm waters contribute more energy and moisture to the atmosphere. The president herself, Marga Prohens, has emphasized the need to strengthen a culture of self-protection, referring to the risk of floods as a scourge against which people must protect themselves. The flood that devastated Sant Llorenç des Cardassar and caused 13 deaths in 2018 is still very much in the memory of all islanders.
In line with these reflections, an international analysis published this week by World Weather Attribution concludes that human-caused warming is making extreme marine heat waves in Europe much more likely and intense, and warns of their possible consequences for ecosystems and the human population.
The impact on tourism
Finally, there’s no point in hiding the fact that all of this also poses a problem for tourism – and a big one at that. A large part of the tourist experience is directly linked to the sea, so global warming presents a paradox: the exceptionally warm water can extend favorable conditions for beach tourism, but at the same time it can damage the very ecosystems and natural attractions that sustain the destination.
Similarly, tour operators from Germany and the United Kingdom – the two main source markets – have long warned of changes in traveler preferences linked to rising temperatures. In fact, the rise in average temperatures is the main driver of the redistribution of year-round tourist flows: the off-season has seen an increase in visitor numbers, while summer figures have stabilized. Therefore, growth is concentrated in the off-season months, as well as in other destinations with milder summer temperatures.
Ports represent another area of adaptation. The maritime business sector and port infrastructure are also renewing their environmental strategies with the goal of achieving ‘zero emissions, zero consumption, zero waste, and zero discharges’. Pressure on the fishing industry is also a cause for concern. In July, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Spanish National Research Council’s Institute of Oceanography launched a campaign from Palma to assess the populations of sardine, anchovy, blue mackerel, and green mackerel in the Spanish Mediterranean, with the aim of providing scientific information for sustainable fisheries management.
The main unknown, beyond this August’s record, is the accumulation of extreme events. The Mediterranean has experienced exceptional temperatures for several years, and scientists are beginning to study not only the effects of each marine heat wave, but also the potential damage from the recurrence of these phenomena. The Balearic Islands must adapt. And they must do so quickly.
