Latest news with #Guinaldo
Express Tribune
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Rescuers evacuate 50,000 as Turkey battles wildfires
Smoke and flares rise from forest area after a wildfire broke out in Seferihisar district in Izmir, Turkey. Photo: AFP Rescuers in Turkey have evacuated more than 50,000 people, mostly from the western province of Izmir, as firefighters battled a string of wildfires, the AFAD disaster agency said Monday. The worst blaze began Sunday in Seferihisar, a forested area 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the resort city of Izmir, spreading rapidly with winds of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, officials said. "A total of over 50,000 citizens from 41 settlements have been temporarily relocated to safe areas," AFAD wrote on X, saying 79 people had been affected by smoke and other fire-related issues, none seriously. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday hit its warmest temperature on record for June at 26.01 degrees Celsius, said a French weather service scientist, citing data from EU monitor Copernicus. "We have never measured such a high daily temperature in June, averaged over the basin, as Sunday," said Thibault Guinaldo, a researcher at the Centre for Satellite Meteorology Studies under Meteo-France. At present, sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are 3C higher than average for the same period compared to 1991-2020, with spikes exceeding 4C around the French and Spanish coasts, he added. "Given the week we're going to have in terms of weather conditions, unfortunately it's not going to get any cooler", Guinaldo said. It comes as Europe swelters through summer's first major heatwave, with Spain and Portugal setting new temperature highs on Monday as France, Italy and Britain also sizzled. Spain and Portugal reported record temperatures as Italy and France braced for several more days of a punishing heatwave that has gripped southern Europe and Britain, sparking health and wildfire warnings
LeMonde
30-06-2025
- Science
- LeMonde
New record June high for Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea on Sunday, June 29, hit its warmest temperature on record for June at 26.01°C, said a French weather service scientist, citing data from EU monitor Copernicus. "We have never measured such a high daily temperature in June, averaged over the basin, as Sunday," said Thibault Guinaldo, a researcher at the Centre for Satellite Meteorology Studies under Meteo-France. At present, sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are 3°C higher than average for the same period compared to 1991-2020, with spikes exceeding 4°C around the French and Spanish coasts, he added. "Given the week we're going to have in terms of weather conditions, unfortunately it's not going to get any cooler," Guinaldo said. It comes as Europe swelters through summer's first major heatwave, with Spain and Portugal setting new temperature highs on Monday as France, Italy and Britain also sizzled. The oceans are a vital regulator of Earth's climate, absorbing some 90% of the excess heat in the atmosphere caused by humanity's burning of fossil fuels. The Mediterranean region is warming faster than the global average and scientists say that climate change is making marine heatwaves more frequent and powerful. Since 2023, there have been consistent waves of abnormally high temperatures. The Mediterranean hit a new all-time high temperature of 28.4°C in August 2024, blitzing the previous record set in July 2023. The basin is also cooling much more slowly during the winter months: Every year since 2023 has experienced well above average temperatures between October and April, said Guinaldo. This has prolonged extreme conditions year round that harm sea life, reduce fish stocks and whip-up stronger storms that make landfall with devastating consequences. A 2022 study found that marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean between 2015 and 2019 caused widespread death in around 50 underwater species including corals, sea urchins and mollusks.
Sharjah 24
02-06-2025
- Science
- Sharjah 24
Oceans feel the heat from human climate pollution
Heating up By absorbing over 90 percent of the excess heat trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases, oceans are warming at an accelerating rate. According to Angelique Melet, an oceanographer at the European Mercator Ocean Monitor, the rate of ocean warming has more than doubled since 1993, as reported by the UN's IPCC climate expert panel. Average sea surface temperatures reached new records in 2023 and 2024, and despite a brief respite at the start of 2025, temperatures remain historically high. The Mediterranean Sea has recorded new temperature highs for the past three years, alongside the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Marine heatwaves have doubled in frequency, lasting longer and affecting a wider area. Warmer seas can intensify storms, while the rising temperatures devastate species like corals and seagrass beds, which cannot migrate. Scientists predict that 70 to 90 percent of corals may be lost this century if global warming reaches 1.5 degrees Celsius, a threshold expected to be breached in the early 2030s. Relentless rise As liquids and gases warm, they expand and occupy more space. In oceans, thermal expansion, combined with the melting of ice caps and glaciers, is causing sea levels to rise. Research indicates that the pace of ocean rising has doubled in the last three decades and could double again by 2100, potentially reaching about one centimeter per year. Approximately 230 million people live less than a meter above sea level, facing increasing risks from floods and storms. Melet emphasizes that ocean warming and sea-level rise are inescapable processes, but reducing greenhouse gas emissions can mitigate the damage and provide time for adaptation. More acidity, Less Oxygen The ocean not only stores heat but has also absorbed 20 to 30 percent of human carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s, leading to increased acidity. This acidification weakens corals and complicates the calcification process for shellfish, crustaceans, and certain plankton. Oxygen concentration in ocean waters is another critical indicator, as its loss is linked to warming waters and other complex factors. Reduced sea ice Mid-February saw a record low in combined Arctic and Antarctic sea ice cover, dropping more than a million square miles below the pre-2010 average. This reduction creates a vicious cycle: less sea ice allows more solar energy to warm the water, leading to further ice melt. This phenomenon, known as "polar amplification," accelerates global warming, particularly at the poles, as explained by Guinaldo.
