Marine heatwaves drive recurrent mass mortalities in the Mediterranean Sea

Joaquim Garrabou; Daniel Gomez-Gras; Alba Medrano; Carlo Cerrano; Massimo Ponti; Robert Schlegel; Nathaniel Bensoussan; Eva Turicchia; Maria Sini; Vasilis Gerovasileiou; Nuria Teixido; Alice Mirasole; Laura Tamburello; Emma Cebrian; Gil Rilov; Jean-Baptiste Ledoux; Jamila Ben Souissi; Faten Khamassi; Raouia Ghanem; Mouloud Benabdi; Samir Grimes; Oscar Ocana; Hocein Bazairi; Bernat Hereu; Cristina Linares; Diego Kurt Kersting; Graciel la Rovira; Julia Ortega; David Casals; Marta Pages-Escola; Nuria Margarit; Pol Capdevila; Jana Verdura; Alfonso Ramos; Andres Izquierdo; Carmen Barbera; Esther Rubio-Portillo; Irene Anton; Paula Lopez-Sendino; David Diaz; Maite Vazquez-Luis; Carlos Duarte; Nuria Marba; Eneko Aspillaga; Free Espinosa; Daniele Grech; Ivan Guala; Ernesto Azzurro; Simone Farina; Maria Cristina Gambi; Giovanni Chimienti; Monica Montefalcone; Annalisa Azzola; Torcuato Pulido Mantas; Simonetta Fraschetti; Giulia Ceccherelli; Silvija Kipson; Tatjana Bakran-Petricioli; Donat Petricioli; Carlos Jimenez; Stelios Katsanevakis; Inci Tuney Kizilkaya; Zafer Kizilkaya; Stephane Sartoretto; Rouanet Elodie; Sandrine Ruitton; Steeve Comeau; Jean-Pierre Gattuso; Jean-Georges Harmelin

doi:10.1111/gcb.16301

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Marine heatwaves drive recurrent mass mortalities in the Mediterranean Sea

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Marine heatwaves drive recurrent mass mortalities in the Mediterranean Sea

Joaquim Garrabou, Daniel Gomez-Gras, Alba Medrano, Carlo Cerrano, Massimo Ponti, Robert Schlegel, Nathaniel Bensoussan, Eva Turicchia, Maria Sini, Vasilis Gerovasileiou, …

Global change biology, Vol.28(19), pp.5708-5725

01/10/2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16301

PMID: 35848527

Abstract

Biodiversity & Conservation

Ecology

Environmental Sciences

Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Science & Technology

Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) and mass mortality events (MMEs) of marine organisms are one of their main ecological impacts. Here, we show that during the 2015-2019 period, the Mediterranean Sea has experienced exceptional thermal conditions resulting in the onset of five consecutive years of widespread MMEs across the basin. These MMEs affected thousands of kilometers of coastline from the surface to 45 m, across a range of marine habitats and taxa (50 taxa across 8 phyla). Significant relationships were found between the incidence of MMEs and the heat exposure associated with MHWs observed both at the surface and across depths. Our findings reveal that the Mediterranean Sea is experiencing an acceleration of the ecological impacts of MHWs which poses an unprecedented threat to its ecosystems' health and functioning. Overall, we show that increasing the resolution of empirical observation is critical to enhancing our ability to more effectively understand and manage the consequences of climate change.

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Title: Marine heatwaves drive recurrent mass mortalities in the Mediterranean Sea
Creators - without role: Joaquim Garrabou - Institut Català de Ciències del Clima
Daniel Gomez-Gras - Institut Català de Ciències del Clima
Alba Medrano - Universitat de Barcelona
Carlo Cerrano - Marche Polytechnic University
Massimo Ponti - University of Bologna
Robert Schlegel - Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche
Nathaniel Bensoussan - Institut Català de Ciències del Clima
Eva Turicchia - University of Bologna
Maria Sini - University of the Aegean
Vasilis Gerovasileiou - Ionian University
Nuria Teixido - Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche
Alice Mirasole - Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Laura Tamburello - Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Emma Cebrian - Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes
Gil Rilov - Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research
Jean-Baptiste Ledoux - Institut Català de Ciències del Clima
Jamila Ben Souissi - Tunis El Manar University
Faten Khamassi - University of Carthage
Raouia Ghanem - Tunis El Manar University
Mouloud Benabdi - Abyss Environm Serv, Algiers, Algeria
Samir Grimes - École Nationale Supérieure des Sciences de la Mer et de l'Aménagement du Littoral
Oscar Ocana - MMC Museo Mar Ceuta, Ceuta, Spain
Hocein Bazairi - Mohammed V University
Bernat Hereu - Universitat de Barcelona
Cristina Linares - Universitat de Barcelona
Diego Kurt Kersting - Universitat de Barcelona
Graciel la Rovira - Universitat de Barcelona
Julia Ortega - Universitat de Barcelona
David Casals - Universitat de Barcelona
Marta Pages-Escola - Universitat de Barcelona
Nuria Margarit - Universitat de Barcelona
Pol Capdevila - University of Bristol
Jana Verdura - Université Côte d'Azur
Alfonso Ramos - University of Alicante
Andres Izquierdo - University of Alicante
Carmen Barbera - University of Alicante
Esther Rubio-Portillo - Dept Physiol Genet & Microbiol, Alicante, Spain
Irene Anton - University of Alicante
Paula Lopez-Sendino - Institut Català de Ciències del Clima
David Diaz - Instituto Español de Oceanografía
Maite Vazquez-Luis - Instituto Español de Oceanografía
Carlos Duarte - King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Nuria Marba - Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies
Eneko Aspillaga - Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies
Free Espinosa - Universidad de Sevilla
Daniele Grech - Fondazione Centro Marino Internazionale
Ivan Guala - Fondazione Centro Marino Internazionale
Ernesto Azzurro - Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Simone Farina - Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Maria Cristina Gambi - Natl Inst Oceanog & Appl Geophys, OGS, Trieste, Italy
Giovanni Chimienti - CoNISMa
Monica Montefalcone - University of Genoa
Annalisa Azzola - University of Genoa
Torcuato Pulido Mantas - Marche Polytechnic University
Simonetta Fraschetti - CoNISMa
Giulia Ceccherelli - University of Sassari
Silvija Kipson - University of Zagreb
Tatjana Bakran-Petricioli - University of Zagreb
Donat Petricioli - D.I.I.V.
Carlos Jimenez - Cyprus Institute
Stelios Katsanevakis - University of the Aegean
Inci Tuney Kizilkaya - Ege University
Zafer Kizilkaya - Mediterranean Conservat Soc, Izmir, Turkey
Stephane Sartoretto - Ifremer
Rouanet Elodie - Case Western Reserve University
Sandrine Ruitton - Université de Toulon
Steeve Comeau - Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche
Jean-Pierre Gattuso - Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche
Jean-Georges Harmelin - Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography
Publication Details: Global change biology, Vol.28(19), pp.5708-5725
Publisher: Wiley
Number of pages: 18
Grant note: CIESM "Tropical Signals'' Euromarine Hellenic Government (Ministry of Development and Investments) CUP 87G17000070002 / Regione Autonoma Sardegna; Regione Sardegna CTM2016-77027-R / Programa Estatal de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad and Program of Marines Strategies of Spain - MITERD PON 2014-2020; AIM 1807508-1; Linea 1 / Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research; Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) Greenpeace Italy UIDB/04423/2020; UIDP/04423/2020 / FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology; Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) Secretary of Universities and Research (Government of Catalonia) EEA GRANTS Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn ICREA Academia programme; ICREA RTI2018-095346-B-I00 / MCIU/AEI/FEDER [HEATMED] long-term monitoring programme of the catalan Natural Parks - Departament de Territori i Sostenibilitat of the Generalitat de Catalunya 801370 / Horizon 2020 programme of research and innovation of the European Union CEX2019-000928 / Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence MIS 5047038 / Project "Coastal Environment Observatory and Risk Management in Island Regions AEGIS+" MAVA Fondation (MedKeyHabitats I Project) Fondation Albert 2 Monaco (MIMOSA Project) Public Investments Programme (PIP) of the Hellenic Republic 21/2018 / Ente Parco Nazionale del Gargano 1MED15_3.2_ M2_337 / Interreg-Med Programme MPA-Engage Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. Hocein Bazairi, Free Spinosa European Commission through the programme project "Pinna nobilis-ricerca per la sopravvivenza: un'iniziativa di Citizen Science per tracciare la mortalita di massa di Pinna nobilis in Sardegna" ANR-17-MPGA-0001 / French National Research Agency (4Oceans-MOPGA grant); Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) RTI2018-095441-B-C21 / Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades; Spanish Government MARISCA Project Tropical Signals Program of CIESM CTM2012-32603; CGL2015-71809-P / Spanish Ministries of Economy and Competitiveness; Spanish Government European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); European Union (EU) EC-176R-18 / National Geographic Society European Commission; European Union (EU); European Commission Joint Research Centre European Union (European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund); European Union (EU); Marie Curie Actions SEP-210597628 / European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme; Horizon 2020 national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT)
Identifiers: 9944917908331
Academic Unit: King Abdullah University of Science & Technology
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article