Marine heatwaves 'spreading like wildfires,' warn experts

In Cyprus, record-shattering temperatures are scorching both the land and the surrounding sea. 

Warm seas feel great on holiday, but for marine life, they can be devastating. As ocean temperatures spike for longer and longer periods, how severe is the threat to underwater ecosystems — and can we do anything to prevent the worst?

“The visibility is not that good today — normally it's crystal clear," says Louis Hadjioannou, Researcher in Marine Ecology at the CMMI in Cyrprus, as she leads today's dive.

What’s obvious is this coastline near Larnaca, is in trouble. Last year, it was a lush seagrass meadow, a haven for sea turtles and stingrays. Now, it's a lifeless expanse, littered with the remains of once-thriving sponges. 

“We are a hotspot of rising temperatures, both outside the water but also inside the water. And these increasing temperatures, which are becoming more intense, more prolonged and more high, they are obviously affecting organisms. And the worst that can happen to them is death. They die," Hadjioannou explains.

As native life struggles with rising heat, alien species from the nearby Red Sea are migrating in, further disrupting the ecosystem. 

“Now with increasing temperatures, we have a lot more new species that manage to pass through the Suez channel in some way. And they find favourable conditions to thrive. And in many cases, these new species, they outcompete native species, they displace them, and they cause a multitude of problems," says Hadjioannou.

For over a decade, Cyprus researchers have closely tracked rising marine temperatures with special underwater sensors. 

“We are now approaching the spot where we have our data logger deployed," she explains.

Recordings show that Cyprus's waters are warming