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The Sunny Mediterranean

 
    The Four Seas of Europe MenuWith its golden beaches and blue waters and skies, the Mediterranean is one of the most attractive seas in the world. Its waters are also vital to the economies of 20 European countries, supporting tourism and a whole range of other industries. Since 1988, Europe has been funding a coherent effort to understand this complex sea. The EROS 2000 project in the Western Mediterranean, which ran from 1988 until 1995, provided a great deal of important information on water circulation patterns and pollution levels in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Targeted Project (MTP), currently the largest multidisciplinary research project covering both the Western and Eastern areas of this sea, was established by the European Commission in 1993. MTP is a major European effort to understand the Mediterranean better and to identify the human activities that have the potential to cause serious damage to its delicate systems.
MTP's pilot phase (1993 to 1996) brought scientists from different countries together in a close-knit team. This active co-operation paid dividends and in just three years the project made significant scientific progress. The second phase started in 1996 and runs until 1999. MTP-II is building on the solid foundations of MTP-I and is taking co-operation to even greater heights, gathering together 54 research groups from 13 EU countries and 3 non-EU countries (Switzerland, Morocco, Tunisia).

Mediterranean pictureSmall changes, serious consequences

MTP has discovered that the temperature of deep water in the Western Mediterranean basin has risen by 0.13°C during the last forty years. This might not seem very much but, in geophysical terms, this is a large increase in a very short time. Scientists throughout Europe believe that it is another serious indication that the global environment is changing in response to our urban and industrial activities.

MTP's most recent findings suggest that the rise in salt concentration detected during the same period is no less important and that this too could be our fault. Construction of key dams, notably the Aswan High Dam on the Nile and the dam on the Ebro in Spain, has cut the flow of fresh water into the Mediterranean over the last 50 years. This has led to a general increase in its salinity. Because salty water is more dense than fresh water, this has altered circulation patterns within the main waters of the Mediterranean and also between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Caulerpa taxifolia Picture
Caulerpa taxifolia, the "killing seaweed", has disrupted the natural balance of the marine ecosystem of the Mediterranean and led to serious problems for tourism along some coasts. Its massive development is the result of an increase in eutrophication caused by industrial growth and intensive farming methods.

One of the most important currents that is being affected is a plume of salty water that leaves the Mediterranean Sea at the Straits of Gibraltar. This flows west and helps shape the course of the Gulf Stream that warms the climate of Europe. As water inside the Mediterranean becomes more salty, so does this plume, but the long-term consequences of this are proving difficult to predict. It might deflect the Gulf Stream west, producing a drastic cooling of the climate of northern Europe or it might push the Gulf Stream east, making the climate much warmer. European researchers cannot yet say which scenario is more likely, and all are redoubling their efforts to achieve more accurate forecasts.

Sound science means sound policies

Growing industries and intensive farming methods have also taken their toll on the Mediterranean, causing an increase in eutrophication that has produced large-scale algal blooms. These have led to serious problems for tourism in some areas, as well as disrupting the natural balance of the marine ecosystem. Research is helping governments to control what is put into the sea and scientists expect to see some improvements in the next few years. Work done in the MTP Project, for example, showed that the European regulations on lead additives in petrol were effective: lead levels fell from 1990, and should continue to fall further.
     
   

 

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