A trip to the aquarium

posted by @ulaulaman about #MediterraneanSea #Aquarium #Milano #ClimateChange

Yesterday I gone to the Civic Aquarium of Milano. It was a very interesting tour, between aquariums and the reconstructed natural habitats. In particular I shotted a video of the tropical fishes (I used Giochi di luce - Game of light - by Andrea Carri like soundtrack):

Near to the acquarium there is a poster about the tropicalisation of the mediterranean sea:

In the past decades there has been an increase in tropical species in the Mediterranean. This is mainly due to the increase of the mean water temperature caused by the global changes in the climate. Tropical species migrate into the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean via the Strait of Gibraltar, and from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal (leseppsian species).

Lessepsian migrations

With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, there has been such a migration of tropical species from the Red Sea that the phenomenon has been named after the engineer who designed the Channel, Lesseps (migration lessepsian). The construction of the Aswan Dam (1965), reducing the flow of the Nile and then the introduction of fresh water in the area in front of the Suez Canal, has eliminated the barrier of less salty water that prevented the passage of species into the Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea.

Competition with native species

Many lessepsian species are more competitive and often take over the Mediterranean species; also pollution and over fishing weaken native species in favor of the exotic species. In addition to several species of fish and many invertebrates, have spread tropical algae like Caulerpa racemosa that, competing with Posidonia oceanica, it could pose a threat to this important ecosystem.

In conclusion, the set of the photos:

Created with flickr slideshow.