Editing Mediterranean Sea (section)

===Natural hazards===
[[File:Aerial image of Stromboli (view from the northeast).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Stromboli]] volcano in Italy]]
The Mediterranean region is one of the most geologically active maritime area of the globe, sitting on a complex tectonic boundary zone between the European and African plates. The geology of the region, with the presence of plate boundaries and active faults, makes it prone to quite frequent earthquakes, tsunamis and submarine landslides with can have devastating consequences in densely populated coastal areas. In addition climate change now intensifies the frequency and impacts of storm surges and coastal flooding, putting additional human lives and property at risk.<ref>Marine hazards and coastal vulnerabilities in the Mediterranean - realities and perceptions. 2024. pp. 5–25 in ’’ CIESM Monograph 52’’ (F. Briand, Ed.) ISSN 1726-5886 [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388029017]</ref>

[[Earthquakes]] are relatively frequent in the Mediterranean Basin, ranking among the most damaging geohazards. One of the most destructive was the Crete earthquake in 365 BC, with Mw > 8, which lifted the western tip of the island by up to 9 m and caused a mega tsunami that destroyed many harbors in the eastern sub-basin.

[[Volcanic eruptions]] are not uncommon either and left their mark in historical and archaeological records. The largest include the [[Thera eruption]], dated around 1600 BC, and the eruptions of [[Mount Vesuvius]] in 217 BC and AD 79 - the latter famously known for the destruction and the burying of the ancient cities of [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculaneum]].<ref name=mcguire2003>{{cite news|first=Bill|last=McGuire|title=In the shadow of the volcano|date=16 October 2003|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/oct/16/research.highereducation2|access-date=8 May 2010|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112041053/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/oct/16/research.highereducation2|url-status=live}}</ref>  In the same region the [[Phlegraean Fields]] west of Naples constitute one of the most significant volcanic systems in the world, still very active. In the same general area, volcanoes like Mt. Etna and Stromboli are considered in a state of permanent activity, with frequent eruptions and lava emissions through the past 1500 years.

[[Tsunamis]], usually triggered by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and submarine landslides, have caused a number of documented disasters in the Mediterranean Basin in the past 2500 years. Historical examples include the 365 and 1303 tsunamis in the Hellenic Arc, more recently the disastrous 1908 event that destroyed the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria, and the large tsunami that occurred off the Algerian margin in 2003.

On the diplomatic front, the experience of coastal countries and regional authorities is leading to exchange{{Fix|text=of what?}} at the international level with the cooperation of NGOs, states, regional and municipal authorities.<ref name=evch>{{cite web|url=http://www.infopuntveiligheid.nl/Infopuntdocumenten/7._Eric_van_der_Horst.pdf|title=Alle kennisdossiers van het Instituut Fysieke Veiligheid|access-date=20 September 2014|archive-date=5 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205041217/http://www.infopuntveiligheid.nl/Infopuntdocumenten/7._Eric_van_der_Horst.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Greek–Turkish earthquake diplomacy]] is a quite positive example of natural hazards leading to improved relations between traditional rivals in the region after earthquakes in İzmit and Athens in 1999. The European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) was set up to respond to major natural disasters and express European solidarity to disaster-stricken regions within all of Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/home/en|title=Press corner|website=European Commission|access-date=15 September 2020|archive-date=25 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825095835/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/home/en|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest amount of funding requests in the EU relates to [[forest fire]]s, followed by floods and earthquakes. Forest fires, whether human-made or natural, are a frequent and dangerous hazard in the Mediterranean region.<ref name=evch/> [[Tsunami]]s are also an often-underestimated hazard in the region. For example, the [[1908 Messina earthquake]] and tsunami took more than 123,000 lives in Sicily and Calabria and were among the deadliest natural disasters in modern Europe.