Scholarly record
MONITORING CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ECHINADES ISLANDS (IONIAN SEA): A SATELLITE AND IN-SITU DATA COMPARISON
Abstract
In recent years, significant effort has been dedicated to monitoring sea surface temperature (SST) trends at local scales. Previous studies using MODIS data reported an increasing SST trend of 0.05-C/yr for the Ionian Sea and 0.04-C/yr for the eastern Mediterranean. In this study, we use Copernicus Marine Service mean daily gap-free SST data to verify these satellite-derived trends and compare them with daily in-situ measurements from ten aquaculture sites to assess potential discrepancies. Both datasets cover a ten-year period (2014-2024) for multiple stations across the study area. To analyze warming trends, we performed a Seasonal-Trend decomposition on both the Copernicus and in-situ time series, followed by simple linear regression on the trend components. The results indicate that warming rates derived from in-situ data are generally lower than those from Copernicus SST data, with some even showing negative trends. In contrast, warming rates from Copernicus SST (0.05-C/yr-0.06-C/yr) are consistent with previously reported trends for the Ionian Sea. Analysis of Covariance indicated significant influence of the interaction between site and year on the trend component, while k-mean clustering grouped stations into three clusters based on their warming rates. One cluster included all stations that experienced slight cooling, another contained sites that showed warming but with lower rates than the Ionian Sea, while the third cluster contained stations with rates that are comparable to the Ionian Sea. These findings underscore the distinct thermal dynamics of coastal ecosystems, particularly in regions influenced by freshwater inputs close to river deltas. The Echinades Islands receive runoff from the Acheloos River, and previous studies suggest that large riverine inputs may mitigate local climate change effects in coastal areas. Despite the incorporation of in-situ measurements in satellite-derived SST datasets, our results suggest that local-scale errors may persist. Finally, site-specific warming rate assessments can provide valuable insights for industries operating in the area. In aquaculture, for instance, understanding temperature trends can inform policy makers and companies about site selection, changes in optimal feeding time, parasite growth, and sustainable management.
Publication Impact Profile
- Captures
- Mendeley - Readers: 6
Publication details
References11
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Climate Change 2021 � The Physical Science Basis: Working Group I Contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press; 2023. DOI: 10.1017/9781009157896
Faulwetter, S., Ramfos, A., & Avramidis, P. (2025). Large-scale analysis of environmental and ecological impacts of marine finfish aquaculture in the Aegean and Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). Science of The Total Environment, 978, 179414. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179414.
Kallitsis, E., Korre, A., Mousamas, D., & Avramidis, P. (2020). Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Mediterranean Sea Bass and Sea Bream. Sustainability, 12(22), 9617. DOI: 10.3390/su12229617.
Kallitsis, E., & Avramidis, P. (2025). Life cycle assessment of aquaculture production in Greece. Cleaner Environmental Systems, 16, 100261. DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100261.
Garc�a-Monteiro, S., Sobrino, J. A., Julien, Y., S�ria, G., & Skokovic, D. (2022). Surface Temperature trends in the Mediterranean Sea from MODIS data during years 2003-2019. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 49, 102086. DOI: 10.1016/j.rsma.2021.102086.
Varela, R., Santos, F., G�mez-Gesteira, M., �lvarez, I., Costoya, X., D�as, J.M., 2016. Influence of coastal upwelling on SST trends along the south coast of Java. PLoS One 11 (9), 1�14. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162122.
Fernandez-N�voa, D., Costoya, X., deCastro, M., & G�mez-Gesteira, M. (2021). Influence of the mightiest rivers worldwide on coastal sea surface temperature warming. Science of The Total Environment, 768, 144915. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144915.
Cleveland, R. B., Cleveland, W. S., McRae, J. E., & Terpenning, I. (1990). STL: A seasonal-trend decomposition procedure based on loess. Journal of Official Statistics, 6, 3-33.
Yuan, Q., Wu, S., Zhao, D., Dai, E., Yuan, Q., Ren, P., 2021. Regional differences in surface air temperature changing patterns from 1960 to 2016 of China. Clim. Dyn. 57, 1733-1749. DOI: 10.1007/s00382-021-05774-0.
Falconer, L., Hj�llo, S. S., Telfer, T. C., McAdam, B. J., Hermansen, �., & Ytteborg, E. (2020). The importance of calibrating climate change projections to local conditions at aquaculture sites. Aquaculture, 514, 734487. DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2019.734487.
Pereira, H., Picado, A., Sousa, M. C., Brito, A. C., Biguino, B., Carvalho, D., & Dias, J. M. (2023). Effects of climate change on aquaculture site selection at a temperate estuarine system. Science of The Total Environment, 888, 164250. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164250.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.