this Mediterranean warming It accelerates the degradation of the biodiversity of this basin, but also poses a threat to the well-being of the millions of residents and tourists living on its shores. Scientists watch with great concern how this warming reaches levels unimaginable until recently. The eastern part bears the load, but the western part may follow the same path, according to an article published in Phys.org.
From Barcelona to Tel Aviv scientists witness extraordinary temperature rises 3 to 5 degrees Celsius above normal for this time of year. The water temperature even exceeded 30 C on some days.
The situation at sea goes unnoticed by most people, but the situation is starting to become alarming. Marine heat waves are caused by ocean currents that deposit areas of warm water. Y Like their land counterparts, heat waves at sea are longer, more frequent and more intense. due to human-induced climate change.
Researcher Joaquim Garrabou of the Barcelona Marine Science Institute says the situation is “very worrying”. “We are taking the system too far. We must act on climate issues as soon as possible.”
Garrabou is part of a team that recently published the report on heatwaves in the Mediterranean between 2015 and 2019. The report states that these phenomena are causing “mass deaths” in marine species.
Nearly 50 species were affected, including corals, sponges and algae, along thousands of kilometers of Mediterranean coast, according to research published in the journal Nature. Global Change Biology.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, the waters are at 31ºC.
The situation in the eastern Mediterranean basin is particularly serious. Gil Rilov, a marine biologist at Israel’s Institute for Oceanographic and Limnological Studies and one of the authors of the paper, said the waters off Israel, Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria are “undoubtedly the hottest spot in the Mediterranean.” Average summer sea temperatures are now consistently above 31°C; So it’s not something exceptional, it’s the usual thing.
These increasingly warm seas are bringing many native species to the brink, “because optimum temperatures are exceeded every summer,” he said.
What he and his colleagues have witnessed in terms of biodiversity loss It is predicted that in the coming years, it will be further west of the Mediterranean towards Greece, Italy and Spain.
Garrabou points out that the seas serve the planet by absorbing 90% of the excess heat from the earth and 30% of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from coal, oil and gas production. This carbon sink effect protects the planet from even more severe climatic effects.
Garrabou explains that this beneficial effect is possible because the oceans and seas are in healthy conditions. “But now we have put the ocean in an unhealthy and dysfunctional state,” he warns.
While the Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions will need to be drastically reduced to reduce ocean warming, oceanographers are specifically looking for authorities to ensure that 30% of marine areas are protected from human activities such as fishing. chance for recovery and development.
Currently, only 8% of the Mediterranean region is protected by some legal figures. however, this does not always mean that resources are effectively conserved in these areas.
Garrabou and Rilov believe that politicians are largely unaware of the warming and its impact in the Mediterranean. “It’s our job as scientists to bring this situation to their attention so they can think about it,” Rilov said. Said.
Terrestrial and marine heat waves feed off each other
Heatwaves occur especially when hot weather continues for a certain number of days without rain or little wind. Terrestrial heatwaves cause marine heatwaves, and the two tend to feed off each other in a vicious warming cycle.
Terrestrial heat waves have become commonplace in many Mediterranean countries, with tragic secondary effects such as wildfires, droughts, crop shortages and extremely high temperatures.
But scientists say maritime heatwaves could have serious consequences both for countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, for the people who spend their summers there, and for the more than 500 million people who live there, if not corrected soon. Fish stocks will be depleted and Tourism will be adversely affected as devastating storms may become more common on land.
The Mediterranean Sea is one of the main reservoirs of marine biodiversity, containing between 4% and 18% of the world’s known marine species, although it represents less than 1% of the world’s ocean surface.
Some of the most affected species are key to preserving the functioning and diversity of marine habitats. species such as grassland ocean of posidoniaCoral reefs that can absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide and support marine life or also support wildlife will be at risk.
Garrabou says the effects of mortality on species have been observed between the surface and a depth of 45 meters, where recorded marine heat waves are extraordinary. Heat waves affected more than 90% of the Mediterranean surface.
brakeless heating
According to the latest scientific articles, Sea surface temperature in the Mediterranean increased by 0.4°C per decade between 1982 and 2018. It has risen by about 0.05C each year for the past ten years, with no signs of decreasing.
Experts say that even fractions of degrees can have disastrous effects on the health of the oceans. The study suggests that affected areas have also grown since the 1980s and now cover most of the Mediterranean.
“It’s not about nature’s survival, because biodiversity will find a way to survive on the planet,” says Garrabou. “The question is, if we continue in this direction, maybe our society, people, has no place to live.”
Reference article: https://phys.org/news/2022-08-fast-warming-ailing-med-sea.html
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Environment department contact address:crisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
