In 2024, record temperatures were reached both globally and in the Mediterranean basin. Heat waves are also increasing, both on the surface and along the water column. Gorgonians, a type of coral, are showing signs of mortality, while alien thermophilic (heat-loving) species are spreading, preferring increasingly warm waters.
This is what emerges from the data collected in 2024 as part of the Mare Caldo project by Greenpeace Italy, conducted thanks to the collaboration with the Distav (Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences) of the University of Genoa and the Ogs (National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics).
Last year also saw the highest annual average temperature ever observed in the Mediterranean basin, with an average value of 21.16°C, while seasonal values detected by satellites were the highest in the last 43 years.
In Asinara, Sardinia, 14 heat waves were recorded in the sea surface temperature, while in Portofino and Cinque Terre, in Liguria, there were six heat waves.
"Our sea is rich in biodiversity, but we risk losing this extraordinary natural heritage if we do not extend the protected sea surface and reduce greenhouse gas emissions", explains Valentina Di Miccoli, Greenpeace Italy sea campaigner. The organisms most impacted are gorgonians (Eunicella cavolini and Paramuricea clavata), which often show signs of necrosis and mortality on their colonies. In Portofino, a severe impact was recorded on 94% of the colonies of Paramuricea clavata at a depth of 25 meters, and in some areas the mucilage covered 80% of the colonies. In Tavolara and Ventotene, the Mediterranean coral Cladocora caespitosa showed a severe level of bleaching".
(Online Union)
