Temperatures in the Ligurian Sea exceed 30°C: the Capo Mele buoy has been recalibrated to monitor new temperature records
The upgraded equipment at the Capo Mele buoy enables the measurement of sea temperatures never before recorded, thereby improving the monitoring of the effects of global warming on the Mediterranean.
Temperatures in the Ligurian Sea have reached peaks of over 30 degrees – levels never before recorded by the environmental monitoring agency Arpal, which has been forced to recalibrate the wave-measuring buoy at Capo Mele (Savona).
The buoy has been returned to the sea with upgraded equipment that enhances its ability to monitor the state of the Ligurian Sea and detect signs of climate change. The technological upgrade involved several on-board systems; among the most eagerly awaited new features is the management system for the sea surface temperature sensor, which measures at a depth of approximately two metres: it can now reach up to 35 degrees, exceeding the previous limit of 29.9.
“This is a significant adjustment, in light of the rise in Mediterranean temperatures recorded in recent years, which will enable us to accurately detect any new temperature extremes,” explains Arpal. In light of this development, we cannot say with certainty whether the reading of 30.3 degrees recorded between 2 pm and 4 pm last Monday, 3 August 2026, is the record for that stretch of sea or not, but it is the highest value ever recorded by the Arpal instrument.”
Launched in 2012 thanks to funding from the Liguria Region, the Capo Mele buoy is the only marine weather platform of its kind in the Ligurian Sea.
Located two miles off the coast of Capo Mele, between the provinces of Savona and Imperia, in an area of strategic importance for the study of coastal dynamics between western Liguria and central Liguria, it transmits real-time data that is essential for environmental monitoring, support for coastal engineering works and research into climate change.
