Recent thermohaline shifts in the Adriatic Sea and their potential consequences

Terzić, Elena; Vilibić, Ivica

doi:10.5194/os-22-3723-2026

Articles | Volume 22, issue 6

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-3723-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-3723-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 6

Research article

|

13 Nov 2026

Research article |

| 13 Nov 2026

Recent thermohaline shifts in the Adriatic Sea and their potential consequences

Elena Terzić and Ivica Vilibić

Data sets

Cleaned Adriatic in situ hydrographic data (1952–2023) for a Mediterranean thermohaline acceleration analysis Elena Terzić and Ivica Vilibić https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20345373

Model code and software

MedClim analysis code for Mediterranean thermohaline acceleration analysis Elena Terzić and Ivica Vilibić https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20410481

Analysis code for "Recent thermohaline shifts in the Adriatic Sea and their potential consequences" (Ocean Science) Elena Terzić and Ivica Vilibić https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23016822

Short summary

The Adriatic Sea has become warmer and saltier over the past two decades, and the change is fastest at depth: below 700 m it now warms about six times faster than the rest of the Mediterranean. Using 75 years of ship and float measurements, we show that salty layers at the sea surface became common after 2014 and that the salty intermediate water no longer sits at one depth. These changes may alter how oxygen and nutrients reach the deep sea.