For a semi-enclosed sea like the Mediterranean with limited freshwater river input, the water budget balance requires that net evaporation (E−P, evaporation minus precipitation and river runoff) be compensated by a net inflow of water through the connecting strait — meaning inflow must exceed outflow by an amount equal to the evaporative water loss (in volume flux units, Sverdrups, 1 Sv = 10⁶ m³/s).
Since inflow (1.75 Sv) from the Atlantic exceeds outflow (1.68 Sv) back to the Atlantic, the difference represents water lost from the Mediterranean basin to...
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