Marine ecosystems at risk in Portocolom

Imedea said that lack of oxygen, an excess of nutrients and the rise in the global temperature are also combining to threaten the conservation of the bay.

Doctor Raquel Vaquer said yesterday though that more broadly damage was being inflicted by the concentration of human activity down by the waterside.
She explained that one of the key elements that has enabled scientists to analyse the state of the water in Portocolom bay has been the level of oxygen. “If the concentration of oxygen falls,” she said, “organisms cannot survive.” She said that low oxygen levels make life impossible for most species and it is even more difficult for those that cannot take flight to other “healthier” parts of the sea.

Fight for survival
Vaquer said that the higher the water temperature, the more likely the concentration of oxygen is to drop. When the temperature rises, marine organisms need to increase their rate of respirtaion in order to survive leading to a drain on supplies of oxygen in the water. The work that Vaquer and other leading scientists have been carrying out in this field was published this week in Estuaries and Coasts specialist magazine. The study was also made possible by researchers Carlos M. Duarte, Gabriel Jordà and Sergio Ruís-Halpern who teamed up with Vaquer to measure essential factors determining the health of the marine ecosystems in Portocolom such as salinity.

Imedea has long been asssociated with the promotion of conservation in Balearic waters and supports setting up a blue fin tuna breeding ground.