CLIMATE · ATMOSPHERE · MEDITERRANEAN
THE
BURNING
RIM
Mediterranean Heat & Climate Stress
A scientific storytelling project exploring climate change,
atmospheric dynamics and Mediterranean instability.
+1°C
Upper atmosphere warming
1993–2023
Mediterranean sea warming trend
−30%
Possible precipitation decline
20–50 km
Key stratospheric layer
A CONNECTED SYSTEM
Climate change does not act on a single layer. It starts from the sea,
crosses the troposphere, reaches the stratosphere and modifies the
balance of the atmospheric system.
In the Mediterranean, these signals are amplified: warmer seas, reduced
precipitation, stronger instability and changing storm dynamics.
SEA & CLIMATE
The Mediterranean Sea stores heat and transfers energy to the atmosphere, influencing instability and extreme weather.
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ATMOSPHERE
The tropopause is not a fixed border: it rises, falls and folds, regulating exchanges between atmospheric layers.
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DYNAMICS
Vorticity, jet streams and atmospheric waves shape the evolution of storms and large-scale weather systems.
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AVIATION
Aircraft emissions introduce gases and particles into sensitive atmospheric regions, contributing to climate forcing.
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SCIENCE
Data, research and scientific sources help explain the climate system and its transformation.
STORYTELLING
Complex atmospheric processes are transformed into a clear editorial narrative.
AWARENESS
The project aims to increase awareness of the changes already affecting the Mediterranean.
THE MEDITERRANEAN AS A CLIMATE HOTSPOT
The Mediterranean basin is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate
change. Sea warming, drought, water stress and atmospheric instability
interact in a system where small shifts can produce large consequences.
UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM TO READ THE FUTURE
The Burning Rim connects science, data and storytelling to explain how the
Mediterranean is changing — from the sea surface to the upper atmosphere.