"The change is also being felt at sea level, with a surface temperature increase of 1.08°F every decade, said Vincenzo Ferrara, an Italian government adviser on climate.

“The Mediterranean is becoming warmer and saltier” due to increased evaporation, Ferrara told the conference, which was held at the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

Ferrara said this could disrupt the flow at the Strait of Gibraltar, a key gateway to the Mediterranean. The higher salt concentration in the Mediterranean would cause water to flow out into the Atlantic Ocean, as opposed to Atlantic water coming into the Mediterranean, which serves as the sea’s lifeline."