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The dizzying temperatures in Northern Europe are likely to see more people flocking to warmer than normal water in the coming days.
But even if, at first glance, this seems to be a positive development, do the higher temperatures of the sea have a cost?
Yes, according to Hans-Martin Füssel, expert on climate change from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
He told Euronews that warmer waters in Europe have been linked to more water-borne diseases and worsening of so-called dead sea areas, where high temperatures mean that there is less water. Oxygen for marine life.
"But the most disturbing effects of rising sea temperatures are in the tropics and subtropics," said Dr Füssel. "In particular coral reefs, the long-term perspective for them is extremely bad.
"During the 2016 and 2017 marine heat waves in Australia, for example, half of the Great Barrier Reef is dead," he added. "We run the very great risk of losing most of the world's coral reefs this century."
To what extent have sea temperatures increased?
According to the latest figures from the EEA, some seas of Europe have never been as hot as in recent years.
The Mediterranean and the North Sea reached record temperatures in 2014, the last year for which figures are available. They have never been warmer since systematic temperature measurements began around 1870.
The other regional seas of Europe have also reached record or near record temperatures in recent years.
The images below show how sea temperatures in Europe have differed from the long-term average since 2014.
Shades of orange, red and pink indicate warmer than average waters. with blue and purple emphasizing the opposite.
But they only show a snapshot: the temperature of the sea surface in July of each of the past five years.
You can click on the video above to watch a complete animation
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
What causes rising temperatures?
"The main driver, without a doubt, is the emission of greenhouse gases, the main one being carbon dioxide, released when fossil fuels are burned and a number of other gases, like the methane and nitrogen oxide ".
"Most human activities contribute to some extent to global climate change – it's energy consumption and production, transportation and agriculture, especially meat production."
What is the impact of rising sea temperatures?
Higher temperatures have a devastating impact on coral reefs in the tropics, but closer to home in Europe, the effects are also significant.
Fish migration: We observed a large-scale migration of fish and marine life northward when temperatures changed, which means that subtropical species are increasingly present in European waters.
Catches of cold-water fish, such as cod and haddock, have halved in parts of Europe since the 1980s, while fish favoring warmer waters, such as red mullet and hake have increased by 250%.
"If people depend on local fish, they will notice a change there but there is obviously a lot of international trade with fish to balance these effects," Füssel said.
"It's more the producers, the fishermen and the local communities who are experiencing the changes and not necessarily the consumers."
Waterborne Infections: Rising sea temperatures in the Baltic Sea region have been linked to an increase in waterborne vibriosis infections.
These diseases can include cholera, gastroenteritis, wound infections and sepsis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, deaths are more common among people with existing diseases.
It comes as health authorities in northern Germany warned people suffering from underlying conditions not to swim in the Baltic Sea because of hot temperatures in recent days.
"Dead zones" in the sea: warmer sea temperatures will also increase the number of oxygen-depleted "dead zones" in Europe, according to the EEA.
These are areas that do not have enough oxygen to support marine life and the Baltic Sea is the largest dead zone in the world.
Areas depleted of oxygen have increased
/ Euronews
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