Mediterranean Sea reaches record temperatures near Mallorca

Mediterranean Sea marine heatwave sea surface temperature climate change Sa Dragonera

The Mediterranean Sea is experiencing record-breaking temperatures, with sea surface measurements reaching unprecedented levels in 2026. A buoy at Sa Dragonera, west of Mallorca, recorded a temperature of 33.2°C, a figure described by experts as “authentically brutal” and significantly higher than previous records.

In July 2026, the average sea surface temperature for the entire Mediterranean basin reached 27.07°C, surpassing the previous record set in July 2025. Data from Copernicus indicates that 94% of the Mediterranean Sea recorded temperatures above the historical average during this period, with 79% of the basin affected by strong, severe, or extreme marine heatwaves.

Regional observations in Spain show widespread warming. A buoy off the coast of Barcelona recorded 30.5°C, while Tarragona reached a maximum of 30.7°C on August 9. Satellite analysis suggests temperature anomalies of approximately +2°C around the Balearic Islands. These rising temperatures are impacting marine ecosystems, specifically affecting fish distribution, plankton composition, and available oxygen levels.

Entities

AEMET · Copernicus Marine Service · Dragonera · Majorca · Mediterranean Sea · Mercator Ocean International · Sa Dragonera

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] A buoy off the coast of Barcelona recorded a temperature of 30.5°C. beteve.cat
[○ 1 SOURCE] Tarragona recorded a maximum sea temperature of 30.7°C on August 9. beteve.cat
[● 2 SOURCES] The Sa Dragonera buoy west of Mallorca recorded a sea surface temperature of 33.2°C. jiec.fr · beteve.cat
[○ 1 SOURCE] The average sea surface temperature of the Mediterranean basin reached 27.07°C in July 2026. aduc.it
[○ 1 SOURCE] Satellite data indicates temperature anomalies of approximately +2°C around the Balearic Islands. jiec.fr
[○ 1 SOURCE] 94% of the Mediterranean Sea recorded temperatures above the average in July 2026. aduc.it