The increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves in recent decades is one of the effects of global climate change.
The increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves in recent decades is one of the effects of global climate change. A study by the University of Barcelona, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, shows that the extreme heatwave of 2022 caused an “unprecedented” increase in mortality of the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata, affecting 70% of the colonies located in the Montgrí Natural Park, the Medes Islands and the Baix Ter. According to the researchers, these results are “alarming and threaten the viability” of this species of great value for the biodiversity of benthic ecosystems, since it is considered to be an inhabitant-forming species.
The UB researcher Graciel·la Rovira is the first author of this publication, which has been coordinated by Professor Cristina Linares, ICREA Academy Professor at the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the UB (IRBio). Researchers from the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB), the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and the University of Toulon (France) have also participated.
Four Years with Temperatures Above 24.3°C
The new study has evaluated the impact of marine heatwaves, which took place between 2016 and 2022, on seven populations of the octocoral P. clavata, located in this marine protected area. The analysis of the results has shown that mortality rates (obtained from the calculation of the cumulative proportion of colonies affected and the dead surface) increased significantly the years in which these episodes were warmer and longer: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
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