Iconic Species in the Mediterranean Sea at Risk from Ocean Acidification and Warmer Temperatures

As temperatures warm and more carbon is released into the atmosphere, the seas are also changing. Ocean acidification and warming in particular are altering oceanic ecosystems. Now, scientists have found that these impacts may be threatening some iconic species in the Mediterranean Sea.

"We knew next to nothing about the combined effects of warming and acidification in the Mediterranean until this study, now we know that they are a serious double threat to our marine ecosystems," said Partrizia Ziveri, one of the researchers, in a news release.

Over 100 scientists from 12 countries pooled their findings in order to produce a 10 point summary to warn of the possible impacts on the Mediterranean ecosystem. They found that iconic Mediterranean ecosystems, such as sea grass meadows, the Coralligene reefs and the Vermetid snail reefs are not only threatened, but could face rapid decline due to acidification and warming.

"Subsea volcanic activity spews carbon dioxide into the seawater making the waters more acidic and an amazing natural laboratory, showing how a future Mediterranean Sea may look like," said Jason Hall-Spencer, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Unfortunately this window into a high CO2 sea shows that life will become difficult for some species, invasive species may do well, biodiversity will decrease and some species will become extinct."

These ecosystems protect soil from erosion, offer a source of food and natural products to society. That makes it important to take steps to protect them in the face of ocean acidification and warming temperatures.

"It is clear that to save these amazing ecosystems human society worldwide must reduce fossil fuel emissions," said James Orr, one of the researchers, in a news release. "It is not just someone else's coasts that will be impacted but all of our seas and coasts. We need to act and there is no time to lose."