ARCHIVED - Mediterranean under threat due to overheating says WWF
The WWF warns that the Mediterranean is the fastest-warming sea in the world
The increased amounts of jellyfish the Spanish coasts have registered in recent years are just one of the consequences of the rapid ‘tropicalization’ affecting the sea, experts say.
The Mediterranean Sea is the fastest-warming sea in the world, increasing its temperature at a rate 20 per cent quicker than the global average as a result of climate change, and it is also under severe pressure from overfishing, pollution, maritime trade and coastal development, according to a report from WWF to mark World Oceans Day (8 June).
Moreover, the higher sea temperatures combined with intense traffic in the Suez Canal and Straits of Gibraltar are attracting new species from warmer climes, with an estimated 1,000 or more invasive species in Mediterranean waters reducing populations of native species such as shellfish and crustaceans.
The stronger, more frequent storms caused by climate change are also affecting vitally important marine habitats and ecosystems, with amounts of Neptune grass, coral and phytoplankton severely affected.
That in turn could cause a further worsening of climatic conditions as Neptune grass (or Posidonia Oceanica) absorbs between 11 and 42 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions produced by Mediterranean countries.
Jellyfish, meanwhile, are invading the sea due to the increase in water temperatures, contamination and the progressive disappearance of predators due to overfishing.
WWF Spain has stressed that the best way to protect and conserve marine ecosystems in the face of climate change is to maintain healthy, balanced ecosystems that have a greater natural capacity to adapt to change.
The environmental group has urged world leaders to take action to protect our seas before it’s too late.
Click here to read the full PDF report
Their words could be dismissed as being environmental doom-mongering, but those of us living on the Mediterranean coastline can testify that many of these statements are simply a reflection of the changes we already see around us.
This spring for example, the Alicante coastline has seen a noticeable increase in the presence of jellyfish and hydrozoans, the harmless "sailboat jellyfish" washing up on several beaches of the province in huge quantities during April this year, and several Portugese Man 'O War have been washed up (see la Manga del Mar Menor) exactly as predicted.
Turtles are increasingly laying on the beaches of Spain due to the rising water temperatures: see first nesting turtle for 100 years in Murcia region
The rising water temperature is also affecting the climate on the Mediterranean, leading to a change in weather patterns and an increased number of devastating storms and floods, as the increased vaporisation of the warm water brings heavier rain: the first weekend of June heavy storms hit the Mediterranean coastline, with heavy rain causing flooding in Murcia, Alicante and Andalucía. Just hours later, temperatures were soaring into the 30s.
This in turn, has resulted in increased numbers of mosquitos in many parts of Spain this spring: see Torrevieja hit by mosquito plague.