The research team at the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute has invited us to witness the devastating impact of these heat waves on fragile underwater ecosystems.
Los warm seas They feel very good on vacation, but For marine life they can be devastating. As ocean temperatures rise for longer and longer periods, how serious is the threat to underwater ecosystems And can we do something to avoid the worst?
In Chipreunprecedented temperatures are scorching both the land and the surrounding sea. The research team at the Cyprus Maritime and Marine Institute, led by marine ecologist Louis Hadjioannou, has invited us to witness the devastating impact of these heat waves on fragile underwater ecosystems.
From marine paradises to lifeless expanses
Last year, what was once a lush seagrass meadow, a paradise for sea turtles and raysit’s now it’s a lifeless extensionlittered with the remains of sponges that once thrived.
“We are a hot spot for increase in temperaturesboth out of the water and in it. And these increasing temperatures, increasingly more intense, longer and higher, obviously affect organisms. And the worst that can happen to them is death,” explains Louis Hadjioannou.
While indigenous life fights rising heatexotic species from the nearby Red Sea migrate inland, further altering the ecosystem.
“Now, with temperatures rising, we have many more new species who somehow manage to cross the Suez Canal. And they find favorable conditions to thrive. And in many cases, These new species outcompete native species, displace them, and cause a multitude of problems..”
Documentation of a death foretold
For more than a decade, Cypriot researchers have closely monitored by the increase in sea temperatures with special underwater sensors.
Recordings show that the waters of Cyprus warm all year round, especially in the shallow waters, where life depends on the delicate coral reefs. The team photographs the coral to document changes over time.
“Here you can see the polyps that have deteriorated. They look completely dead. This is dead,” says Hadjioannou.
The team of Cyprus Maritime and Marine Institute (CMMI) is part of two European-funded research projects –PUREEF-Y y EFFECTIVE– who study the Impact of marine heat waves on shallow reefs y seek solutions based on nature to protect and restore seabed ecosystems before they are lost forever.
“We will try to collect some sediment samples. By taking samples of the sediment or the reefs themselves, you can understand what the climate was like in the pastand then you go up the core sample to understand how it changes over the years, until reaching the present day,” details Hadjioannou.
Sediment analysis reveals How heat waves affect pollution levels and other variables. The biologist marina Eleni Christoforoutells us more about it:
“Another thing we investigate in the sediments is the meiofauna. Meiofauna are small organisms whose biodiversity depends on temperature, nutrients and other conditions. Many species could even become extinct because the water is too warm either the sediment is too hot, or the nutrients have changed due to climate change and heat waves.”
The crisis in the waters of Cyprus is just one example of a global phenomenon closely followed by oceanographers of Mercator Ocean International in Toulouse, France.
The Dra. Karina von Schuckmannlead author of the reports of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Climate Changeexplains that these increasingly intense heat waves are one of the consequences of the thermal imbalance of our planet:
“Marine heat waves can occur because there are heat waves in the atmosphere. So we have this interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean and then The ocean warms, the wind slows downetc., favoring these conditions. We have seen in the latest IPCC “which increases in general for the extremes – we have higher intensities, and also the frequency of these extremes is increasing.”
Las marine heat waves – prolonged periods of unusually high sea water temperatures- They are spreading like wildfires across the world’s oceans.. They threaten ecosystems, fishing, aquaculture and tourism, and can last for weeks, months or even years.
In the Mediterranean, Sea surface temperature has continued to rise since the 1980sa trend that is expected to continue throughout the 21st century.
To better understand and forecast marine heat waves, Mercator Ocean has developed advanced computer models that apply the Copernicus Marine Servicewhich is part of the EU Copernicus Programme. We speak with oceanographer Marie Drevillon:
“We collect all available observations: satellite data and what we call in situ, that is, measurements taken at sea, with autonomous buoys, ships and all types of measuring instruments. We integrate all these observations into a modeling solution. We make a forecast for the next ten days, which allows us to know if in a week’s time there will still be a marine heat wave in the same place, or if it will evolve in one way or another. AND We publish newsletters every week to inform you of the current status of the situation.”
“We need to understand what biodiversity will be permanently destroyedwhat will be the impact on us, what changes will it bring to the great balances and, most importantly, How can we prevent the disaster we have inflicted on the ocean from continuing?“says Pierre Bahurel, general director of Mercator Ocean International.
In search of ‘natural’ solutions: coral nurseries
Scientists calculate that 90% of the world’s remaining coral reefs could disappear by 2050.
To strengthen the resilience of reefs, Louis Hadjioannou’s team in Cyprus is experimenting with coral nurseries. They place fragments of threatened coral species in a safe area, away from predators.
The goal is for these coral fragments grow in the protected nursery and then transplant to the seabedthus contributing to the ecosystem regeneration of healthy reefs. We follow Hadjioannou as he leads us to a net platform suspended 5 meters from the surface:
“Here we are in the floating nursery. It is the first time that we have tried this type of nurseries in the Mediterranean for any species. “We will install the corals and monitor them for at least a year using photogrammetry and other visual methods.”
It remains to be seen how these corals will fare in an increasingly warm sea. According to Hadjioannou, they will continue to deploy and install more coral fragments in the floating nursery. in different seasons to see how they behave.
“At this point we are sure that the sea will be different in ten or twenty years. We are making efforts to at least try to save some of the key species that support the rest of the biodiversity, in the hope that the change that will come, surely, will not be so bad, or fatal, for marine life.”
As the ocean continues to warm, time is running out for many species who face a future they may not survive.
