They identify the areas of the Mediterranean Sea most threatened by the impact of human activity
They identify the areas of the Mediterranean Sea most threatened by the impact of human activity
They identify the areas of the Mediterranean Sea most threatened by the impact of human activity
A study conducted by the researcher Francisco Ramírez, from the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), has analyzed and spatially distributed the existing information on a multitude of impacts that are affecting simultaneously, and possibly synergistically, the entire Mediterranean Sea: from climatic impacts such as the increase in sea temperature, to fishing pressure on natural resources or changes in physicochemical conditions. The result is a spatial representation of the places most affected by human activity, such as the Adriatic Sea, the Aegean Sea, the African coast or the sea of the Catalan area, among others. According to the researchers, this information will allow identifying areas where action should be taken locally to minimize the effects of a global problem such as climate change.
The new work has been published in the journal Scientific Reports, and is also signed by Marta Coll and Joan Navarro, from the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), and Javier Bustamante and Andy J. Green, from the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC).
The study is part of the concept of safe operating spaces (SOS, from the English term safe operating space), which defines a multidimensional space within which an ecosystem would be found, and which is determined by different types of impacts, such as pollution, fishing or water temperature. For this ecosystem to be in adequate conditions, the magnitudes of the impacts should not exceed certain thresholds, so that, if the magnitude of an impact increases, the thresholds of the rest decrease and vice versa. "If we demarcate an SOS from climate and human impacts, this means that, by decreasing anthropogenic pressure, the threshold for climatic impacts above which the ecosystem would collapse will increase and, therefore, increase the capacity of the ecosystem to resist. to the environmental impacts associated with climate change, "explains Francisco Ramírez.
(Photo: U. Barcelona)
To spatially delimit the potential impacts that would affect the Mediterranean Sea, researchers have combined multiple methodologies and databases, such as the longest existing time series of remote sensing data - space satellite imagery - that provide information on, for example, the sea surface temperature. They have also used data on the distribution of fishing pressure provided by the Global Fishing Watch. "By spatially overlapping all these impacts, we have identified those marine areas that are particularly threatened and that therefore deserve special attention if the resources or biodiversity that exist in them are to be conserved," explains Ramírez.
According to the study, those areas most affected by human impacts would be potentially more vulnerable to climate change. Specifically, the results show that there are certain particularly vulnerable areas, such as the Adriatic Sea, the Aegean Sea, the African coast or the sea of the Catalan area, where fishing intensity is very high. If you add to this the increase in sea temperature caused by global warming, the result is that there will be species of great commercial value, such as sardines, which will be particularly affected, since they are extremely sensitive to the increase in temperature . "Knowing how these threats are spatially distributed can help to manage certain activities, such as fishing. For example, it can be used to regulate those activities in particularly affected areas or to move fisheries to areas that are less affected by other threats, "says Francisco Ramírez.
This approach allows us to show where we should act locally to minimize the effects of a global problem such as climate change. "Local administrations can not fight climate change on their own, since this struggle requires the consensus and action of the entire international community. However, managing other possible more local impacts can reduce the vulnerability to climate change of certain areas and ecosystems. By this we do not mean that we should not fight global warming, but in the short and medium term, a possible mitigation measure would be to manage those other more local impacts, "the researchers conclude. (Source: U. Barcelona)
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