Global warming-enhanced stratification and mass mortality events in the Mediterranean

2009/03/30 by Rafel Coma, Marta Ribes, Eduard Serrano +4 · 393 citations
Environmental Science · #Atmospheric sciences #Benthic zone #Biology #Climate change #Climatology #Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies #Dormancy #Ecology #Environmental science #Geology #Global warming #Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies #Marine and fisheries research #Mediterranean climate #Oceanography #Stratification (seeds)

paper · open access · doi:10.1073/pnas.0805801106

published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(15), 6176-6181 (National Academy of Sciences)

openalex publication_date 2009/03/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26

Abstract

Summer conditions in the Mediterranean Sea are characterized by high temperatures and low food availability. This leads to "summer dormancy" in many benthic suspension feeders due to energetic constraints. Analysis of the most recent 33-year temperature time series demonstrated enhanced stratification due to global warming, which produced a approximately 40% lengthening of summer conditions. Many biological processes are expected to be affected by this trend, culminating in such events as mass mortality of invertebrates. Climatic anomalies concomitant with the occurrence of these events represent prolonged exposure to warmer summer conditions coupled with reduced food resources. Simulation of the effects of these conditions on a model organism demonstrated a biomass loss of >35%. Losses of this magnitude result in mortality similar to that noted in field observations during mass mortality events. These results indicate that temperature anomalies are the underlying cause of the events, with energetic constraints serving as the main triggering mechanism.

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