Environment

Alert over unprecedented situation in the world’s oceans: the Mediterranean is the “hot spot”

New research shows the Mediterranean is warming faster than other oceans, raising alarms about mounting climate pressures, extreme marine heat waves and threats to coastal economies.

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Almudena García Felipe

Update: Dec 2nd, 2025 07:12 EST

Pierre Bahurel, director general of Mercator Ocean International, warns that the world’s oceans are under extreme pressure. He describes the current moment as a triple crisis involving climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

A growing alarm in the Mediterranean

Bahurel says the Mediterranean Basin has become one of the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth. In early June 2025, surface temperatures in parts of the sea reached roughly 86 degrees Fahrenheit, about 9 degrees above normal. Nearly 62 percent of the basin experienced extreme marine heat waves, the highest level ever recorded.

This rapid warming is especially troubling because the Mediterranean is heating significantly faster than the world’s other oceans, according to comments Bahurel made to the Greek outlet AMNA.

Digital tools shed light on an accelerating emergency

To track the changes, Mercator Ocean is relying on the European Digital Twin of the Ocean, or EDTO, a platform that merges satellite data, ship observations, underwater sensors and real time modeling. Bahurel says the technology allows experts to recreate how the ocean’s physical and biological systems evolve with remarkable accuracy. That information supports researchers, governments and environmental organizations.

He adds that artificial intelligence plays a growing role by identifying patterns that were previously invisible. AI also improves forecasts for extreme events, including ocean acidification, sea level rise and cooling in certain regions.

High stakes for Greece and the wider region

The impacts are already hitting countries like Greece, which has an extensive coastline and relies heavily on the sea. Bahurel warns that warming waters and other changes threaten both fragile ecosystems and vital economic activities such as fishing.

He also revealed that Mercator Ocean International is transitioning into an intergovernmental organization with the authority to coordinate global ocean policy. The goal is to improve cooperation among nations and strengthen the world’s response to escalating marine crises.

A critical turning point for the world’s oceans

Experts say the rapid evolution of digital monitoring, along with increasingly alarming projections, underscores a critical moment for the health of the Mediterranean and the world’s oceans. Scientists are calling for urgent action guided by credible research and international collaboration to blunt the effects of climate change before the damage becomes irreversible.