The effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels, higher water temperatures, wave heights, and increased frequency and intensity of extreme events, will affect tourism and marine ecosystems. These effects of climate change are already present in the Mediterranean Sea, especially in the part of Valencia. Miguel Rodilla is a biologist from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and has commented that all buildings, promenades and coasts of Valencia will have to change their current appearance to adapt to these effects of climate change.
Leave the beachfront
The first step is to adapt to rising sea levels. To achieve this, it's best to adapt over the years and gradually change the structure, so that the economic costs aren't as significant or direct. Leaving the beachfront is a priority Since the threat is not only that of rising sea levels, but also that with more water, storms will destroy everything in their path. Furthermore, it is important to consider how this phenomenon impacts the tourism in coastal areas. Also, it should be noted that the global warming could cause some coastal cities to face serious difficulties.
Regarding the increase in sea water temperatures, we have the disappearance of many common species and the emergence of many other invaders from remote locations such as tropical waters or the Red Sea. These changes in biodiversity are a clear example of the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. Likewise, the effects that this phenomenon has on the environment are worrying, as evidenced by the situation in Germany.
The Mediterranean it is especially sensitive to the acidification phenomenon driven by climate change, which involves an increase in water acidity due to the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This also causes a clear increase in water stratification. This means that water has a great difficulty mixing, which leads to a problem with nutrient availability. Furthermore, infrastructure adaptation is crucial to cope with these changes.
Increased species mortality and adaptation
For the reasons mentioned above, increases in mortality have been recorded in many species such as gorgonians and other species such as calcareous algae have difficulty surviving (this is because algae need high concentrations of calcium carbonate which is no longer available for an increase in CO2 in the water).
The rise in sea level will modify the beaches and the change in frequency and magnitude of storms will cause damage and create problems for coastal structures. Even a slight increase in this level can severely affect the coastal aquifer and create problems with the availability of freshwater. In addition, plant adaptation to climate change It is essential to maintain ecosystems.
