The Mediterranean is heating up with worrying consequences for the sea's biodiversity, an environmental report warned on Monday ahead of a major climate conference in Rome.
The report, drawn up by Italy's Institute for Sea Research (ICRAM), said the phenomenon was not just restricted to the sea's surface.
It stressed that deep water temperatures, even in winter, had risen an average two degrees in recent years.
The report said temperatures at a depth of 100 metres in the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western side of the Italian mainland reached 15 degrees centigrade last winter compared to the usual 13 degrees.
In the eastern Adriatic Sea, the study cited data from the winter of 2003 showing temperatures had risen to 13 degrees.
It noted that average winter temperatures for this body of water during the 20th century was five degrees.
The report said the Mediterranean's warming would have serious consequences for marine life and the sea's ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
ICRAM also said that 1,500 kilometres of sandy coastline in Italy - out of a total of 4,000 kilometres - risked being lost to erosion.
ICRAM expert Silvio Greco said recently that his institute had verified a "constant trend of rising deep water temperatures in the Mediterranean, with a peak in 2004".
"Global warming is at work... deep water temperatures do not normally change," Greco said.
"The Mediterranean accounts for just 0.8% of the planet's marine waters, but it is estimated to contain 9% of global biodiversity, so it is a highly delicate environment," he explained.
Experts believe Italy and the rest of southern Europe are particularly vulnerable to the onset of climate change.
A recent United Nations report said average temperatures in Italy could increase by as much as five degrees Celsius by the end of the century, causing a 25-30 cm rise in sea levels.
Many coastal cities would disappear underwater, including Venice, experts said.
Another environmental study released earlier this year warned that 32% of Italian territory was under threat from desertification - especially in the south - because of climate change and the resulting drop in rainfall levels.
Climate change will be in the spotlight on Wednesday and Thursday when scientists and environmental experts will gather in Rome for an important national conference on the issue.
