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Date Published: 19/05/2022

ARCHIVED - 2022 is the year in which the Mar Menor is at its worst: Los Alcazares and San Javier cry for help

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Turbidity in the Mar Menor has quadrupled and chlorophyll is already double what it was a year ago, which will make the green soup worse than ever

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - 2022 is the year in which the Mar Menor is at its worst: Los Alcazares and San Javier cry for help

After the 5 kilos of dead fish which appeared washed up on the shores of the Mar Menor this Wednesday in the area of Atalayón de Santiago de la Ribera, scientists, ecological experts and those living in towns around the Mar Menor have intensified their calls for something to be done to stop another mass die-off event taking place.

The abundant rainfall in the Region of Murcia, in one of the most strangest springs in living memory, has only accentuated the poor state of the lagoon. On May 6, the latest date with recorded data, the values of the different parameters on the website created by Cartagena University (marmenor.upct), which determine the state of the lagoon, paint a desolate picture which the increase in temperatures will only aggravate further.

One of the most worrying stats is the turbidity. Around this time in 2021, the turbidity of the water, which reflects the amount of suspended materials in the water, both of natural and artificial origin, registered 0.572 FTU (Formazin Turbidity Unit) while this year the level has shot up to 2.046 FTU.

Suspended sediments, soil particles (including clays, silts, sands, etc.) entering the water and suspended organisms increase the value of this parameter.

The level of chlorophyll is also worrying, as the clean-up crews removing sludge from the Mar Menor beaches in recent weeks could attest. Whereas in May 2021, the level of chlorophyll was 0.628 mg/m3, in 2022 this figure has leaped up to 1.064.

Chlorophyll is the molecule used by unicellular plants suspended in water (phytoplankton) to carry out the process of converting inorganic matter into biomass using sunlight as a source of energy (photosynthesis). The concentration of chlorophyll in the water – which provides the green colour of the water – is used as an estimate of phytoplankton biomass.

These data corroborate what several authorities warned a few days ago, that the situation is undoubtedly getting worse and something must be done to halt the flood of nitrates into the protected natural environment.

Antonio López Campoy, Los Alcázares’ Councillor for the Environment, said, “The Mar Menor is not doing well. I would say that this is the year in which it is at its worst. Spring has brought a lot of rain, which in turn has generated a massive dragging of fresh water. In addition, we are now seeing this rise in temperatures which, all together, generates the green soup. The situation doesn’t look good. We are collecting biomass by the ton. As long as the entry of nitrates is not stopped, the problem will continue.”

The Mayor of San Javier backed him up, saying “We have to lower the water table and we have to stop the monster of the Albujón [rambla], which is carrying more water and nitrates than ever.”

Image: @PSOESanJavier/Twitter