How long is the mediterranean coastline

The amount and distribution of rainfall in Mediterranean localities is variable and unpredictable. Maximum precipitation is found in mountainous coastal areas Figure 1. The climate in the region is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, humid winters. The annual mean sea surface temperature shows a high seasonality and important gradients from west to east and north to south. Coastal aquifers provide another source of freshwater discharge to the Mediterranean. The submarine groundwater discharge from the coastal aquifers, estimated at 2.

Seepage inflows are prevalent on the eastern coast of the Adriatic, dominated by karstic aquifer systems, as well as on the eastern and southern Mediterranean coast with semi-arid and arid conditions, limited precipitation and runoff, and limited surface watercourses and discharge points.

Coastal seepage and submarine discharges are critical to the water balance and seawater quality in the marine sub-basins. They also support wetlands and brackish water habitats, important to biodiversity, and fishery nursery areas. The coastal aquifers are threatened by over-exploitation and consequent seawater intrusion and water and land salinisation, which will add to the deficit in recharge of the Mediterranean.

With a typical tidal range of less than 50 cm, the Mediterranean Sea is microtidal. This reduces the potential for dilution and dispersion of dissolved and particulate wastes. It is also one of the most oligotrophic i. The main source of nutrients in the Mediterranean lies in the inflowing Atlantic surface waters at the level of the Gibraltar Strait.

These inflowing waters flow eastward along the African coasts in the western Mediterranean, then cross the Sicily Strait and continue their flow again along the northern African coasts. As the waters move eastwards from the Gibraltar Strait, they become depleted in nutrients.

By the time they reach the Egyptian coasts, their nutrient signature has almost disappeared. Additionally, the Nile River nutrient signature has disappeared due to the s Nile Dam construction. Additional sources of nutrients exist in the Mediterranean, but these have localised and rather small impacts.

One is the outflow of Black Sea surface waters into the Aegean, which have an influence limited to the north Aegean; a second source is the Po River, emptying into the Adriatic on its western coast. The most eutrophic waters in the western basin are located on the north shore, at the mouth of the large rivers Rhone and Ebro.

Riverine nutrient inputs are relatively low, as most river systems discharging in the Mediterranean Sea are small. High nutrient inputs to small rivers may be important in most North African oueds, as they collect rich effluents in large quantities.

River basins accumulate the products of various natural and anthropogenic activities agriculture, urbanisation, wastewaters, industry, etc. These high oceanic productivity areas host a particularly rich marine mammal fauna and the eastern part of the basin is one of the last shelters for the threatened Mediterranean monk seal.

The shallow coastal waters are home to key species and sensitive ecosystems such as seagrass beds and coralligenous assemblages, whilst the deep waters host a unique and fragile fauna.

This natural heritage has profoundly influenced the development of populations, transforming this basin into a rich and heterogeneous mosaic of cultures.

Among them, fishing practices, habitat loss and degradation, eutrophication, and more recently, the introduction of alien species and climate change effects.

Since the intensity of these stressors is increasing throughout most of the Mediterranean basin, temporal analyses are increasingly needed to inform effective current and future marine policies and management actions. The Mediterranean Sea hosts numerous beautiful islands. Covering a total area of about 25, km 2 , the island of Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea basin was formed during the Late Triassic and the early Jurassic periods due to the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates. Geological evidence indicates that about 5. About 5. The Mediterranean Sea has been regarded as the birthplace of Western civilization.

Many ancient civilizations such as the Phoenicians, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire were located along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Since ancient times, the Mediterranean Sea has served as an important transportation route and has influenced all the important civilizations that have occupied its shores. Combined with large and often poor populations , there is much overfishing and pollution. But its mild climate has also created rich agricultural resources, and its geology has added important minerals—especially tin and copper so important to the Bronze Age.

And this omits the various seas associated with the Black Sea. Its rivers create land links that tie it to northern Europe as well as to eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean. The populations with direct access to its shores exceed million million including countries bordering the Black Sea.

This makes the Mediterranean Basin potentially one of the world's major economic zones. It also makes it a focus for political intrigue from Asia and the Middle East to northern and eastern Europe.