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ARCHIVED - Mar Menor salinity drops to Mediterranean levels
The low levels have resulted in an influx of invasive species which could further damage the ecosystem of the Mar Menor
Technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, together with a team of scientists, have stepped up their monitoring of the Mar Menor with daily checks after it was discovered this week that the salinity level has dropped further to match that of the Mediterranean.
The low salt levels cause two major problems: on the one hand, the current low salinity (39.73 PSU) is harmful to some native species such as the nacre, while it has attracted much invasive marine life, like octopus and cuttlefish to the Mar Menor.
In recent days, a local fisherman was astonished to discover a loggerhead turtle caught in one of his nets, a completely unprecedented event in the saltwater lagoon.
Since April 1, more than 4,280 tonnes of angel hair algae has been removed from the Mar Menor, a task which must be carried out immediately. The life cycle of these algae, which contributes to the dreaded ‘green soup’ effect, is very short, and it uses up a huge amount of oxygen as it decomposes.
The temperature of the water has also increased to 26ºC in some areas of the lagoon, a factor that will continue to exacerbate the situation as the days become warmer.
Although the environmental technicians insist that the current levels are “normal, compatible with marine life,” they have not ruled out more cases of hypoxia which have already killed hundreds of fish in Santiago de la Ribera (San Javier) and Cartagena.
According to researcher Antonio García-Meseguer, the low concentration of salt in the water, which in a normal year would sit at around 45 grams/litre, has already “facilitated the access of species that are not common in the lagoon since they require a lower salinity”.
A recent study on the presence of exotic bivalves in the lagoon found that "the arrival and population consolidation in the Mar Menor of various invasive species of molluscs, in addition to other marine organisms, make this area in a new ‘hotspot’ of biological invasions that must be monitored in detail to guarantee the survival of native species”.
El año pasado se inventaron estas plataformas para asegurar el baño. No han durado ni doce meses... Así casi todo en el mar Menor. pic.twitter.com/KuS7Zg3sL6
— Vicente Lozano🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@vicentelozano) May 23, 2022
Image: Vicente Lozano
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