Reacción a "Climate change is causing unprecedented sea temperatures in Europe, increasing the risk of destructive events"

The research follows in the footsteps of previous studies in the same vein, using the same protocols and standards of the WWA (World Weather Attribution). The data used are in the public domain, allowing for the reproducibility of the research. In this sense, I consider the research robust and provides an updated overview of the situation in the Mediterranean and the Northeast Atlantic up to this past summer. This makes it a very timely article for understanding what we are facing.

Overall, the article adds new evidence to what was already known, such as the fact that marine heatwaves have been increasing in recent decades and years and that they have an anthropogenic origin. Regarding the implications of this phenomenon, the authors provide a good overview of practically all of them, including updated literature. For example, in the Horizon Europe project that I coordinate (GES4SEAS), we have published several articles on heatwaves, especially in the Mediterranean, and the conclusions are similar (the authors of this report cite one of our articles).

I find it particularly interesting that the Iberian Peninsula (both on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coasts) is the region that suffers and will continue to suffer the most from these extreme weather events, since, as the authors state, we will face numerous problems: torrential rains, changes in the species and habitats along our coasts, an increase in invasive species, problems for human health, etc. We have been seeing these effects for some years now, and they will certainly increase, but it seems to be a problem that society doesn't care about and that some populist politicians deny, with the consequences this will have on short- and medium-term decision-making.

In the area where I work, the Basque Country, this year we already had 25°C water temperatures at the end of June, and during the summer it has remained practically at 24°C. Previously, this temperature was only reached sporadically in August. This has drastically changed the seabed, with the disappearance of the underwater landscapes that once defined us and the appearance of many invasive species (I call it the “Invasivecene”), including algae and invertebrates. Furthermore, massive blooms of jellyfish, salps, and other species that damage fishing, aquaculture, and tourism are becoming increasingly frequent.

Regarding the article, I don't see any significant limitations that need to be considered, although they don't mention El Niño, and this year is going to be, or is already being, one of the most intense in history. This could lead to an increase in extreme weather events and heat waves this year and next, depending on the region.