THE tide is going out in the Mediterranean. Over the past 40 years, sea
levels have been dropping in the near-landlocked sea, while over the rest of the
globe sea levels have been steadily rising, according to a new analysis.
“The change is dramatic,” says Michael Tsimplis of the Southampton
Oceanography Centre, who has analysed the records of seven long-term tidal
gauges around the Mediterranean. Global warming makes seawater expand, and has
pushed up sea levels around the world by more than a millimetre a year over the
past 100 years. The Mediterranean followed suit until 1960, but since then…
