The Mediterranean has been overfished and polluted with toxic chemicals, including heavy metals and plastic. A high percentage of the plastic is on the seabed. The Sea covers 1% of the planet but it contains 7% of the plastic
The water is also crystal clear because there are very few phytoplankton plants, which means no zooplankton animals. The root of the Mediterranean food chain is gone, and this in turn means there are few fish, big fish or marine mammals.
The pH of the Sea has dropped to between pH 7.78 and 8.00; below a pH of 7.95, carbonate-based phytoplankton such as Coccolithophores cannot grow. It means there is no omega-3 oil lipid production, and it means there is no SML surface microlayer on the Sea Surface.
https://lnkd.in/eenFbSpD
No Aragonite or Magnesium Calcite organisms can survive the more acidic conditions, which means no molluscs or sea urchins; in effect, the Mediterranean Sea is DEAD.
With no surface microlayer (SML), water can evaporate from the surface more readily, and water vapour pressure in the atmosphere increases. Water vapour represents 70% of all greenhouse gases. It means that the air temperature is going to increase around the Sea. The SML is also responsible for aerosols and cloud formation, which means that there will be droughts. However, when aerosols do form, they are loaded with microplastics and the toxic forever lipophilic chemicals that float on the surface of the Sea. The rainwater contains plastic, pharmaceuticals, and toxic chemicals. Countries around the Med, especially Italy, Greece and Turkey, are going to have extreme heat waves and droughts, followed by strong winds and torrential downpours
The Marmaris Sea and Aegean Sea on the Eastern side have experienced massive Dinoflagellate phytoplankton blooms, otherwise known as Sea Snot. This is going to spread through the Mediterranean and, eventually, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The series of events unfolding in the Mediterranean should be an early warning for the world. The Oceans are going to collapse unless we stop the pollution and fishing and start to reverse the process of ocean acidification. If we do not, then it may not be possible for humanity to survive.
https://lnkd.in/ev6_2cXN
https://lnkd.in/ev6_2cXN
