The Spanish Institute of Oceanography, part of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, has prepared a report at the request of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge following the episode of torrential rains last March, in which it points out the risk of an episode of oxygen depletion and massive death of organisms in the Mar Menor, according to MITECO in a statement. These substances, mainly nitrogen and phosphorous, enter the lagoon through surface runoff in the wadis, through groundwater or by dragging water and materials from the basin during torrential rains such as those that have occurred in recent months, to cite just a few examples.
PERSISTENT IMPACTS
On the other hand, the report warns that the heavy rains also caused a sharp drop in salinity, a variable of great importance in the Mar Menor. After the rainfall, and as a result of the rise in the water table, freshwater continues to flow into the lagoon with a high nutrient content, which will interfere with the seasonal dynamics of salinity in the lagoon system. This new episode is mainly due to the input of materials during the rainy episodes, but could continue in the coming weeks or even months due to the development of phytoplankton communities.