Record-breaking sea temperatures are changing life beneath the Mediterranean, with divers and scientists observing the arrival of new species and shifts that could have consequences for entire marine ecosystems…
After 25 years diving in the region, Denis Chaboud, technical diving director and head of safety for the Centre d’Études et de Sports Sous-Marins de Monaco (CESMM) has witnessed those changes first-hand. As reported by Monaco Info, this summer’s exceptional temperatures have affected the Mediterranean’s thermocline, the boundary between warmer surface water and colder water below, with colder layers observed unusually close to the surface.
More strikingly, species once associated with warmer parts of the Mediterranean are increasingly being observed further north, including along the French, Monegasque and Corsican coasts. Parrotfish are among the newcomers raising questions about how established ecosystems will adapt.
Other species present potentially greater challenges. Lionfish, which have entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, are voracious predators capable of feeding on juvenile fish, potentially affecting populations before they reach adulthood. Rabbitfish can graze rocky habitats, removing algae that provide food and support for other marine life.
Some environmental organisations are consequently encouraging the consumption of invasive species such as lionfish as one way of limiting their impact.
In Monaco, scientists continue to study the changing Mediterranean closely, seeking to understand how warming waters are reshaping its biodiversity and how best to protect an increasingly vulnerable marine environment.
Image: Peter Kaltenborn