Europe’s seas have been hit by a “massive expansion” of marine heatwaves this summer, with carbon pollution responsible for around two-thirds of the excess heat, new research has found. Some waters have reached temperatures up to 6C above normal, raising fresh fears for marine ecosystems, coastal communities and weather patterns across the continent. Heat that was once almost unthinkable Researchers from World Weather Attribution found that the hottest two-week periods of 2026 would have been “virtually impossible” in a preindustrial climate across three of the four regions studied. Around the Celtic region, including much of the waters around Britain and Ireland, temperatures reached levels that historically occurred only once a century. Climate breakdown has warmed the Mediterranean by around 2C, the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Peninsula by 1.4C, and waters around Ireland and the Channel by 1.3C. Huge areas of sea are now caught in the heat The study found marine heatwaves have spread across 90% of the Bay of Biscay and Iberian coast region and 80% of the western Mediterranean. Without human-driven warming, researchers estimate those affected areas would have been roughly half as large. In the eastern Mediterranean, removing the climate change effect cut the expected affected area from 70% to just 9%. The analysis has not yet been peer reviewed but used climate models to compare observed sea temperatures with those expected in a world without human-driven warming. The damage is already moving through ecosystems Marine heat can kill habitat-forming species including corals and macroalgae, while triggering widespread deaths among fish and seabirds. Claire Bergin of Maynooth University warned the warming could “completely reshape ecosystems” relied upon by coastal communities for food and income. Hotter seas can also contribute to more dangerous conditions on land, including heavier extreme rainfall. Europe’s climate warning is getting harder to ignore Scientists say the findings reinforce evidence that Europe’s increasingly extreme heat should no longer be treated as exceptional. Jamie Atkins of Utrecht University said the impact of climate change on European seas was “really starting to bite”. The warning comes as Europe confronts intensifying pressure to curb fossil fuel use while continuing to face the consequences of decades of planet-heating pollution. Carbon pollution has fuelled 'massive expansion' of marine heatwaves in Europe, study finds
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