A marine area resilient to climate change has been discovered
The discovery comes from a scientific study conducted by the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station in collaboration with the Enalia Physis Environmental Centre of Cyprus, the University of Vienna, and other European and international research institutes, and published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation.
According to the study, entitled “Upwelling generates a unique refugium from climate change in the fast-warming Eastern Mediterranean Sea” in the Eastern Mediterranean, along the south-western coast of Cyprus, there is a marine area approximately 150 kilometres long that is able to provide refuge for many species threatened by climate change.
At this site, an upwelling system is present, that is, the rise of deeper and colder waters, capable of keeping summer seawater temperatures 2–3 °C lower than in other locations across the entire sector.
The researchers analysed mollusc communities between 5 and 30 metres in depth across different habitats, from Posidonia oceanica meadows to rocky substrates, comparing areas located inside and outside the upwelling system. Historical reference conditions were reconstructed through the analysis of accumulations of mollusc shells on the seafloor, which testify to the species richness of the past.
The results are clear: native species richness in the upwelling area is markedly higher than in the surrounding warmer areas, regardless of the type of habitat considered.
For the researchers, “the discovery of a refugial area in one of the regions most affected by marine warming changes our perspective on the future of Mediterranean biodiversity. Protecting these environments means gaining precious time for species conservation and for the adaptation of ecosystems to the changes currently underway.”