The Oceans Surrounding Barcelona, Spain
Today’s article will discuss the oceans surrounding Barcelona, Spain. We went on an expedition to Barcelona in order to do some seagrass related research & things of that nature. Results from this will be published in a new journal of ours called “The Persaud Catalogue: Scientific Journal of Marine Biology”. It will be located on this same website & will just be published in a different area of the website. For more information please look at the article titled “Major Announcement: The Persaud Catalogue: Scientific Journal Of Marine Biology”, published on March 17th. Barcelona is a city in Spain, located on the Mediterranean Sea. It is attached to mainland Spain & it is not apart of an island. The city is known largely for its superb beaches, beautiful artworks, & architectural features. However, Barcelona offer much more then just an exciting city, it has absolutely wonderful areas to snorkel in. Barcelona has a vast selection of marine life, this is largely due to the favourable weather conditions of the areas surrounding Barcelona. It is also extremely active marine wise, with many species being brightly coloured & high in population. For example, whale sightings are very common off the coast of Barcelona from March to October. Also, jellyfish enjoy invading the beaches of Barcelona during the summer months. This is a sign of a healthy marine environment as it is attracting species rather then repelling them. There are often many different snorkelling expeditions for leisure that one can partake in during the summer months in Barcelona. Many swimmers & other marine watchers go to this coast as it is holds some of the best beaches along the Mediterranean. Barcelona specifically has some of the best beaches along the Spanish coast. Many different other recreational activities take place besides snorkelling, often fishing, swimming, & tide-pooling are very popular amongst the tourists. In this article, we will be discussing the Tides, Temperatures, Salinity, Marine Geography, & Basic Information of the oceans surrounding Barcelona, the most prominent marine ecosystems of the oceans surrounding Barcelona, the documented marine flora of the oceans surrounding Barcelona, the documented marine fauna of the oceans surrounding Barcelona, & finally how the marine resources of the oceans surrounding Barcelona have been utilized, & how ocean acidification is affecting Barcelona. With that being said let us discuss the golden beaches of Barcelona.
The Tides, Temperatures, Salinity, Marine Geography, & Basic Information Of The Oceans Surrounding Barcelona
Barcelona is a city located along the Mediterranean, it has many different beaches, most notably Barceloneta beach. The exact salinity of the Barcelona beaches has not yet been measured. Since Barcelona rests in the Mediterranean, it is likely that the salinity level is approximately 38 parts per thousand or around that number. Salt deposits or brine pools have not been proven to be in existence around the area, however it is highly likely that they do. Salinity is measured in 1,000 grams. For every 1000 grams of water there will be a certain number of grams that are pure salt. This is how salinity is measured. There are also zero current on going factors that would affect the salinity levels in such a harsh way that the salinity would change. The water temperatures for the beaches of Barcelona can be found on a plethora of websites, but the easiest to navigate are https://seatemperature.net, https://seatemperature.info, https://www.watertemperature.net, & finally https://seatemperatures.net. The average yearly water temperature off the coast of Barceloneta beach is 64° Fahrenheit (17.7778° Celsius). This requires wetsuit thickness of 7.5 centimeters thick or more for colder divers. The tides at Barceloneta beach usually don’t reach over 2.3 feet tall. The tides can also be found on many websites, however the easiest to navigate are https://www.tidetime.org, & https://www.tide-forecast.com. There is not a dangerous presence of riptide, nor is there a high surf often. There is a very low pollution level & the beaches are cleaned daily. This means that during the hot afternoons, the beaches are always in splendid condition. The best beach to visit along Barcelona’s coast is Barceloneta beach. There are a total of 515 marine protected areas in Spain’s waters. The largest one that is close to Barcelona is“Corredor de migración de cetáceos del Mediterráneo”. This translates to “Mediterranean cetacean migration corridor”. It is 4.6% of Spain’s total marine area & it is represents 35% of all marine protected area in Spain. The deepest oceanic point around Barcelona within 5 Nautical / Marine Miles is 554.5 feet deep. The main things that make up the oceanic floor are mud & sand, & occasionally coral. There are very few oceanic mounts around the place.
The Most Prominent Marine Ecosystems Of The Oceans Surrounding Barcelona
Please note that these are only ecosystems around Barcelona, not any neighbouring large cities. Also, we will not be including Microsystems for the sake of this article.
Tidal Areas
These tidal areas are areas along the coast. This includes tide pools & other various areas very close to the coast. These areas are in the tidal zone & they fluctuate depending on the tide. Some tide pools will only be filled at high tide, & become empty during low tide. These areas usually have very small crustaceans such as crabs. Occasionally they also contain sea urchins & small fish that will go in during high tide, stay for low tide, then exit during the next high tide. They will also occasionally have mussels. These ecosystems are very small & are easily disturbed. It is important that when venturing along the coast, one avoids stepping in these tide pools as it could disrupt the ecosystem. These types of ecosystems are found close to the coast. This is a hunting ground for very many marine creatures.
Seagrass Meadows
Seagrass meadows are self explanatory. There are many areas around Barcelona covered with seaweed & algae of various kinds. These types of ecosystems can be found close to the coast or far offshore. They can be found 2 meters (6.56168 feet) deep to 45 meters (147.638 feet) deep. They are found in the highest density to the north of Barcelona, however they are also found to the south. These ecosystems are important as they play a key role in sucking up Carbon Dioxide. They also produce much oxygen, which helps improve the quality of the water. The main species of seagrass is Posidonia Oceanica. These are most often used as fish nurseries, shelter, & food for various different marine creatures.
Fringing Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are found close to Barcelona, however they are not as plentiful as they should be. They are found semi-close to the coast. They are used as shelter for many marine creatures. These however, are not tropical corals. These are hard calcified corals, or cold-water corals. This is due to the polyps of the coral producing calcium carbonate, within the ectoderm for the purpose of building a firm skeletal structure for the corals. These coral reefs are unfortunately vulnerable due to the high PH level. This will be explained in more death in our last section of this article, “How The Marine Resources Of The Oceans Surrounding Barcelona Have Been Utilized, & How Ocean Acidification Is Affecting Barcelona”. The hard corals are the main kind, however there are also soft corals. The main species of soft coral that is found is known as the Paramuricea Clavata (Mediterranean Gorgonian).
The Documented Marine Flora Of The Oceans Surrounding Barcelona
There is not very much diversity around Barcelona. However the seagrass that does exist in Barcelona, is very healthy. The main species of seagrass as of now is Posidonia Oceanica (Neptune Grass / Mediterranean Tapeweed). This is a the primary seagrass & it makes up the majority of the seagrass meadows. This type of seagrass is endemic to the Mediterranean sea, meaning it is only found here. They usually will only grow in large patches, & it is rare to find a small patch of this species. It does grow a sort of fruit, that is known as the “olive of the sea”. These fruits are also known as Neptune balls & will often wash up along the coast. These species is not threatened with extinction. This species in particular, is vital to Spain’s marine ecosystems. It is important because it has a very high carbon absorption capacity. It is able to soak up 15 more times carbon dioxide then a similar sized piece of the Amazon Rainforest in South America. These species is usually bright green, however it may turn brown as it ages. It usually grows between 7.87402 inches (20.0000108 centimeters) & 15.748 inches (39.99992 centimeters). Zostera Marina also may grow in this area, however that has yet to be confirmed.
The Documented Marine Fauna Of The Oceans Surrounding Barcelona
Barcelona is very diverse in its marine life. Many different species such as sharks, dolphins, & various tropical fish. One of the most intriguing of the species around Barcelona, is the Basking shark. Please see the article published on the 10th of July titled “The Basking Shark Of Barcelona, Spain” for more information on this creature. This article can be found using our navigation feature at the top of the webpage. The reason for this variety of marine life is a mixture good climate conditions & an abundance of food such as krill & seaweed. Many larger creatures often do not stay in Barcelona year-round. They will often migrate throughout the Mediterranean. However smaller creatures, such as fish, will often stay & not migrate from the Barcelona area. With that being said, let us Epinephelus Marginatus (Dusky Grouper), Sphyraena Sphyraena (European Barracuda), Dicentrarchus Labrax (European Seabass), Octopus Vulgaris (Common Octopus), Argyrosomus Regius (Shade-fish), Boops Boops (Bogue), Cetorhinus Maximus (Basking Shark), Conger Conger (European Conger), Coryphaena Hipperus (Dolphin-fish / Mahi-Mahi), Diplodus vulgaris (Common two-banded Seabream), Katsuwonus pelamis (Skipjack tuna), Muraena Helena (Mediterranean moray), Sarpa Salpa (Salema porgy), Scorpaena Porcus (Black Scorpionfish), & finally Scorpaena Scrofa (Red Scorpionfish).
How The Marine Resources Of The Oceans Surrounding Barcelona Have Been Utilized, & How Ocean Acidification Is Affecting Barcelona
The majority of the resources extracted from Barcelona were fish or other marine creatures. Personal & commerical fishing are incredibly common throughout the areas around Barcelona. This could cause a crisis similar to the crown of thorns environmental disaster at Tutuila, American Samoa. This also causes general food chain issues. Along with that, if we overfish the area, we may see a local extinction of some species entirely. Ocean acidification, unfortunately has a large impact around Barcelona. Ocean acidification is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, largely because of human-caused burning of fossil fuels, & deforestation, for the past 150 years. When carbon dioxide contacts sea water, it forms carbonic acid. Carbonic acid gives off positive H+ ions, which causes increased oceanic H+ concentrations & decreased oceanic Ph. This PH difference, is causing coral to bleach at a rapid rate. This is utterly horrifying as if we do not attempt to either lower carbon emissions or reduce the effect somehow, we could lose all of the coral reefs around Barcelona entirely.
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