Intense Med Sea heatwave raises fears for marine life10 hours ago Share Save Mark Poynting and Erwan Rivault BBC Climate & Data teams Share SaveGetty Images Shading from the midday Sun during a recent heatwave in southern FranceWarmer water at the seaside might sound nice for your holiday dip, but recent ocean heat in the Mediterranean Sea has been so intense that scientists fear potentially devastating consequences for marine life. It has been the western Med's most extreme marine heatwave ever recorded for the time of year, affecting large areas of the sea for weeks on end. Sea temperatures of 30C or above are not unprecedented in the Med in late summer. "Global warming is the main driver of marine heat waves… it's essentially transferring heat from the atmosphere to the ocean. "Some of them are well adapted to typical Mediterranean warm temperatures, but actually they often cannot withstand marine heatwave conditions, which are becoming more extreme and widespread," said Dr Cebrian.