Seahorses bobbing while wrapped around perfectly sized seagrass in the shallow seas of the Mar Menor, eels gliding through the waters, and fish only native to the lagoon peacefully swimming were all sights of perfect harmony within the Mar Menor’s ecosystem.
Sights that have not been seen in years due to climate change and human activity, according to Isabel Rubio, a longtime activist for the conservation of the Mar Menor. Rubio is a frequent visitor to the area as she recalls some of her earliest memories there going back to the 50s.
“Oh wow, I always loved going in the water as a child and these beautiful little sea horses would wrap their tail right around your finger and just sway,” says Rubio.
What was once such a unique beautiful booming ecosystem has now become a marine wasteland for the fish and people reliant on the lagoon. The last seahorse Rubio can recall seeing the water was 4 years ago…
But this is what we saw:
As we had hoped to see the beauty Rubio described to us we were met with something none of us could have expected. On one side the students were met with a thick green algae sludge that seemed like multiple inches deep to walk through, only marine life in sight was tons of biomass.
“It was honestly so sad to see what we saw. I can’t believe the shape this ecosystem is in, it needs help and that help needs to come fast,” said Colette Van Olden, one of the students attending the trip who studies Earth Science.
The ecosystem in the Mar Menor saw its first major consequences to climate change in 2016, it was apparent the ecosystem was collapsing, according to Marina Albentosa, a researcher at the oceanographic institute studying the Mar Menor. What was once clear water turned murky green with a few tons of fish washing up dead on shore in 2019, according to Albentosa.
In 2019, another episode similar to the last happened, except this time more there were more fish suffocating to death… and guess what researchers say is coming in the next few weeks.
You guessed it, more tons of fish may wash up dead on shore, according to Albentosa.
The fish are not the only thing dying by the Mar Menor, people who once loved being in the area are now running from it, according to Rubio. As we walked through some areas, sign after sign on buildings that read “Se Vende” with a phone number accompanying it.
The Mar Menor is a poor sight of what humans can do if we do not take care of the land and oceans around us. Remember we need nature, nature doesn’t need us…
Traducción del texto anterior:
As we had hoped to see the beauty Rubio described to us we were met with something none of us could have expected. On one side the students were met with a thick green algae sludge that seemed like multiple inches deep to walk through, only marine life in sight was tons of biomass.
“It was honestly so sad to see what we saw. I can’t believe the shape this ecosystem is in, it needs help and that help needs to come fast,” said Colette Van Olden, one of the students attending the trip who studies Earth Science.
The ecosystem in the Mar Menor saw its first major consequences to climate change in 2016, it was apparent the ecosystem was collapsing, according to Marina Albentosa, a researcher at the oceanographic institute studying the Mar Menor. What was once clear water turned murky green with a few tons of fish washing up dead on shore in 2019, according to Albentosa.
In 2019, another episode similar to the last happened, except this time more there were more fish suffocating to death… and guess what researchers say is coming in the next few weeks.
You guessed it, more tons of fish may wash up dead on shore, according to Albentosa.
The fish are not the only thing dying by the Mar Menor, people who once loved being in the area are now running from it, according to Rubio. As we walked through some areas, sign after sign on buildings that read “Se Vende” with a phone number accompanying it.
The Mar Menor is a poor sight of what humans can do if we do not take care of the land and oceans around us. Remember we need nature, nature doesn’t need us…
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| Estudiantes de la Universidad de Syracuse (EEUU) en la isla del Ciervo. Mar Menor |
Traducción del texto anterior:
Las hojas de la fanerógama marina tienen el tamaño perfecto para que los caballitos de mar envuelvan sus “colas” en ellas, y se balanceen en la aguas poco profundas del Mar Menor. Las anguilas se deslizan por estas aguas, en perfecta armonía con los peces emblemáticos de esta laguna, formando este único y singular ecosistema.
Este Mar Menor ha cambiado tanto en las últimas décadas debido al cambio climático y la actividad humana, según Isabel Rubio, activista para la conservación del Mar Menor desde hace mucho tiempo. Rubio ha nadado en las aguas cristalinas de esta laguna desde su infancia, y guarda recuerdos que se remontan a los años 50.
“¡Me encantaba bañarme cuando era niña y jugar con los caballitos de mar, que envolvían sus colas en mi dedo meñique balanceándose pacíficamente” nos cuenta Isabel.
Lo que alguna vez fue un hermoso y único ecosistema ahora se ha convertido en un desierto marino para los peces y las personas que dependen de la laguna. El último caballito de mar que Rubio recuerda haber visto en el agua fue hace 4 años. Esto es lo que nos contaba Isabel Rubio a nuestro grupo, un grupo de estudiantes de la Universidad de Syracuse en el mes de mayo.
Esto es lo que encontramos:
Después de escuchar a Isabel contarnos sobre la belleza del Mar Menor, nos encontramos con algo que ninguno de nosotros esperaba. Por un lado, nos encontramos con un lodo espeso de algas verdes que parecía tener varios centímetros de profundidad para caminar y la única vida marina a la vista era gran cantidad de biomasa flotando.
“Honestamente, fue muy triste ver lo que vimos. No puedo creer en qué estado se encuentra este ecosistema, necesita ayuda y esa ayuda debe llegar rápido”, dijo Colette Van Olden, una de las estudiantes que asistieron al viaje que acerca a los estudiantes a los ecosistemas marinos del Mediterráneo.
El ecosistema del Mar Menor experimentó las primeras consecuencias importantes del cambio climático en 2016; era evidente que el ecosistema se estaba derrumbando, según Marina Albentosa, investigadora del Instituto Oceanográfico Español, que estudia el Mar Menor. Lo que una vez fue agua clara se volvió turbia con toneladas de peces muertos en la orilla en 2019, según Albentosa.
En 2021, ocurrió otro episodio similar al anterior, los peces murieron asfixiados... y ¿adivinen lo que dicen los investigadores en las próximas semanas y meses?
Lo has adivinado: toneladas de peces puede que vuelvan a morir, según Albentosa.
Los peces no son lo único que muere en el Mar Menor. Las personas que antes amaban estar en la zona ahora huyen de ella, según Rubio. Mientras caminábamos por la orilla del Mar Menor, observamos letrero tras letrero en edificios que ponen "Se Vende", acompañado de un número de teléfono.
El Mar Menor es un terrible ejemplo de lo que podemos llegar a hacer los humanos si no cuidamos la tierra y los océanos que nos rodean. Recuerda que necesitamos a la naturaleza, la naturaleza no nos necesita a nosotros...
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| Estudiantes de la Universidad de Syracuse en el Mar Menor |