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.
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.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
13 Nov 2026
Research article |
| 13 Nov 2026
| 13 Nov 2026
Recent thermohaline shifts in the Adriatic Sea and their potential consequences
Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ivica Vilibić
Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation, Put Duilova 11, 21000 Split, Croatia
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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.
The Adriatic Sea has become warmer and saltier over the past two decades, and the change is...
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