Mediterranean in the climate crisis: water temperatures higher than ever

The consequences are obvious. Many species cannot adapt to such changes. Almost 1,000 alien species have already migrated to the Mediterranean and displaced native species. The extreme weather conditions are making the sea increasingly acidic and salty. The sensitive seagrass and coral banks are in danger of disappearing.

Europe is not just experiencing heatwaves on land.

The Mediterranean Sea is experiencing a brutal marine heatwave this July, which will have devastating impacts on marine ecosystems while also enhancing heatwaves on land.

Water temperatures are as high as 6.2°C above normal! pic.twitter.com/AFqSz6BEMD

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 23, 2022

Today's Mediterranean is no longer what it once was. It is, so to speak, on the fast track to climate catastrophe. I recommend our report “The Climate Change Effect in the Mediterranean: Stories from an overheating sea” which Main impacts of the climate crisis points to the biological diversity of the sea.

In short: throughout the Mediterranean Habitats and populations are changing enormously. Native mollusks such as snails and mussels have declined by almost 90 percent in the sea off Israel. There are more and more jellyfish. Alone Already over 600 tropical fish species have been found in the Mediterranean discovered. The consequences of these new arrivals can be devastating.

Example lionfish: The invasion of Indian lionfish is particularly destructive. Since their first discovery in the Mediterranean in the early 1990s, the voracious fish with long, highly poisonous dorsal spines have now spread to the Adriatic. They hardly have any predators because they have been mercilessly overfished. The lionfish are depleting the sea, and the populations of crustaceans and small fish are falling dramatically.

Example rabbit fish: This species also migrated from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. They have now spread across the entire eastern half of the Mediterranean. Rabbitfish now make up 80 percent of Turkey's fish catches. Where they live, the seagrass meadows have been almost completely eaten up. Instead, bare rocks dominated. This has dramatic effects on the entire marine ecosystem, as the seagrass beds are habitats for many species. In addition, they are important for the climate because some of them act as natural carbon sinks.

Example: Noble pen shell: Pinna nobilis is the largest endemic mussel of the Mediterranean and also one of the largest in the world. It used to be common and was an important habitat for a variety of species. Today they are on the verge of extinction. The parasite Haplosporidium pinnae has in recent years almost all pen shell fields in the entire Mediterranean have been destroyed. It is believed that the high water temperatures helped the parasite to spread so rapidly.

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Reality climate crisis in the Mediterranean

The climate crisis is a tangible reality on and in the Mediterranean. If we want to reverse the trend, we have to stop global warming. But we also need to reduce human pressure from overfishing, pollution, coastal development and shipping. We must strengthen the ecological resilience of the sea. Healthy ecosystems and thriving biodiversity are our best protection against the effects of the climate crisis. Well-managed marine protected areas can contribute a lotto reduce stress on the sea as much as possible. 30 percent of the Mediterranean must become marine protected areas. This could stop overfishing and give the entire ocean system a chance to recover.

We will continue to fight for this.