Attention holidaymakers! Mallorca Sea unusually warm

If you're jetting off to the Balearic's any time soon and enjoy a dip in the sea, then listen up!

The Mediterranean Sea surrounding the Balearic Islands is unusually warm. While this may sound ideal for holidaymakers hoping to trade our cooler July for high summer heat, it can have serious consequences for the marine ecosystems.

The waters of the Mediterranean were more than 2.5°C warmer than average last week. On 26th June, the average temperature around the Balearic Islands was 2.6°C above the historical average for that day, according to data from the SOCIB coastal observation system.

At the buoy, Cabrera, southeast of Mallorca, the temperature was 2.8°C above the historical average between the years of 1982 to 2015.

Meanwhile, last year, a record average high of 29.2°C was measured for the Balearic Sea surface temperature. At the buoy of Dragonera, the water temperature had also reached a new high of 33.3°C.

If sea temperatures continue to rise, this will have an impact on animal and plant life. This includes coral bleaching, damage to seagrass beds, harmful algal blooms, mass deaths of marine animals, and the migration of species.

Warmer water also has consequences for weather patterns in the autumn and winter.