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Sea levels in Malta and Gozo are lower than usual right now… here’s why!
This is largely due to the stormy weather Malta experienced last week.

Emma Galea

If you were nearby any of Malta’s bays these past few days, you might have noticed that the sea levels are significantly lower compared to usual.

So, what is causing such a thing to happen to the country’s beaches?

As a result of the stormy weather, the atmospheric pressure went up as high as 1005.7hPa on Friday 10th February, and it shot up even higher to 1032.7hPa on Saturday 11th February.

The atmosphere pressure has since remained at high levels and consequently, the weight of air on the sea has increased.

“On average, a column of air with a cross-sectional area of 1 square centimetre squared, measured from the sea level to the top of Earth's atmosphere, has a mass of about 1 kilogram”, Facebook page ‘Maltese Islands Weather’ explained.

“A 1hPa increase in atmospheric pressure on a regional level temporarily lowers the sea-level by approximately 1 centimetre”, the page continued.

When all this happens, the sea-level falls drastically causing many beaches across the Maltese islands to have larger shores.

14th February 2023


Emma Galea
Written by
Emma Galea
Emma is a Gozitan writer who loves all things related to English literature and history. When not busy studying or writing you will either find her immersed in a fictional book or at the cinema trying to watch as my films as she possibly can!

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