Evaluating the extent and impact of the extreme Storm Gloria on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows
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Título: | Evaluating the extent and impact of the extreme Storm Gloria on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows |
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Autor/es: | Marco-Méndez, Candela | Marbà, Nuria | Amores, Ángel | Romero, Javier | Minguito-Frutos, Mario | García, María | Pagès, Jordi F. | Prado, Patricia | Boada, Jordi | Sánchez-Lizaso, José Luis | Ruiz, Juan Manuel | Muñoz-Ramos Trayter, Gregori | Sanmartí, Neus | Mayol, Elvira | Buñuel, Xavier | Bernardeau Esteller, Jaime | Navarro-Martínez, Pedro C. | Marín-Guirao, Lázaro | Morell, Carlos | Wesselmann, Marlene | Font, Rita | Hendriks, Iris E. | Seglar Arañó, Xavier | Camps-Castella, Judith | Bonfill, Eli | Requena-Gutiérrez, Aurora | Blanco Murillo, Fabio | Aguilar Escribano, Javier | Jimenez-Gutierrez, Santiago | Martínez-Vidal, Joaquín | Guillén, Juan Eduardo | Cefalì, Maria Elena | Pérez, Marta | Marcos, Marta | Alcoverro, Teresa |
Grupo/s de investigación o GITE: | Biología Marina | Recursos Hídricos y Desarrollo Sostenible |
Centro, Departamento o Servicio: | Universidad de Alicante. Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada |
Palabras clave: | Extreme events | Burial | Unburial | Erosion | Patchiness | Climate Change |
Fecha de publicación: | 7-nov-2023 |
Editor: | Elsevier |
Cita bibliográfica: | Science of The Total Environment. 2024, 908: 168404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168404 |
Resumen: | Extreme storms can trigger abrupt and often lasting changes in ecosystems by affecting foundational (habitat-forming) species. While the frequency and intensity of extreme events are projected to increase under climate change, its impacts on seagrass ecosystems remain poorly documented. In January 2020, the Spanish Mediterranean coast was hit by Storm Gloria, one of the most devastating recent climate events in terms of intensity and duration. We conducted rapid surveys of 42 Posidonia oceanica meadows across the region to evaluate the extent and type of impact (burial, unburial and uprooting). We investigated the significance of oceanographic (wave impact model), geomorphological (latitude, depth, exposure), and structural (patchiness) factors in predicting impact extent and intensity. The predominant impact of Storm Gloria was shoot unburial. More than half of the surveyed sites revealed recent unburial, with up to 40 cm of sediment removed, affecting over 50 % of the meadow. Burial, although less extensive, was still significant, with 10–80 % of meadow cover being buried under 7 cm of sediment, which is considered a survival threshold for P. oceanica. In addition, we observed evident signs of recently dead matte in some meadows and large amounts of detached drifting shoots on the sea bottom or accumulated as debris on the beaches. Crucially, exposed and patchy meadows were much more vulnerable to the overall impact than sheltered or continuous meadows. Given how slow P. oceanica is able to recover after disturbances, we state that it could take from decades to centuries for it to recoup its losses. Seagrass ecosystems play a vital role as coastal ecological infrastructure. Protecting vulnerable meadows from anthropogenic fragmentation is crucial for ensuring the resilience of these ecosystems in the face of the climate crisis. |
Patrocinador/es: | This study was funded by the CSIC project “Effects of storm Gloria on the western Mediterranean meadows (202030E052) and “Storms of change: as phenomena extreme weather alters Mediterranean coastal ecosystems, their services and their perception by society" (PID2020-113745RB-I00), state program of I+D+I Oriented to the Challenges of the Society and within the framework of the activities of the Spanish Government through the "Maria de Maeztu Centre of Excellence” accreditation to IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) (CEX2021-001198). We want to thank the SPAS (Society of Fishing and Underwater Activities of Mataró) and the Mataró City Council, which has financed 25 years of the Alguer de Mataró project. |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10045/138427 |
ISSN: | 0048-9697 (Print) | 1879-1026 (Online) |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168404 |
Idioma: | eng |
Tipo: | info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
Derechos: | © 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. |
Revisión científica: | si |
Versión del editor: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168404 |
Aparece en las colecciones: | INV - BM - Artículos Científicos / Scientific Papers INV - Recursos Hídricos y Desarrollo Sostenible - Artículos de Revistas |
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Marco-Mendez_etal_2023_SciTotEnv_accepted.pdf | Embargo 24 meses (acceso abierto: 8 nov. 2025) | 2,88 MB | Adobe PDF | Abrir Solicitar una copia |
Marco-Mendez_etal_2023_SciTotEnv_final.pdf | Versión final (acceso restringido) | 8,17 MB | Adobe PDF | Abrir Vista previa |
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