Portal de Cartagena
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Although not the only cause of the problem, the exchange of water with the Mediterranean has much to do with the green color of the Mar Menor.
This is confirmed by the doctor of the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), Francisco López Castejón, in his thesis 'Characterization of the hydrodynamics of the Mar Menor and the exchange flows with the Mediterranean through in situ data and numerical modeling'.
The work, which has been led by Professor Javier Gilabert and is the first in the Region to comprehensively study the current system in the Mar Menor, reflects that the Mar Menor water exchange mechanism in the winter months is what it does That in summer the season begins with cleaner and clearer water.
'That did not happen last year.
All the nitrates that were dumped from agriculture accumulated and there was a growth of the phytoplankton that gave the green color to the water, "they say.
However, this year they say that the situation has varied.
The episodes of strong winds and changes in the atmospheric pressure of the last winter have produced in a very little time that the water of the salt lake was regenerated avoiding that cloudy aspect of the previous year.
The researcher also highlights the role played by the channels, both the Estacio as the Marchamalo and Las Encañizadas.
López Castejón points out that these do not act independently, but that any action on one of them influences the others.
"Whatever was done, we should take into account the channels alike," he says adding that the solution for the Mar Menor is to stop dumping nitrates from agriculture and go even deeper into the role of channels to assess some Possible extra measure in that regard.
For more than a year, data with 12 different instruments have been recorded inside the lagoon and this numerical information has been modeled with a system called ROMS, which has allowed to understand the mechanisms of operation of the currents and water exchange of the lagoon.
On the other hand, Lopez Castejón clarifies that the water is not renewed in the same way in the whole lagoon, but there are more 'complicated' areas for this renewal.
The surface of the northern part of this lagoon is the one that renews more quickly, approximately two months, while the deep zone in front of the Estacio and the southern part of the Mar Menor, can extend around eight months.
The study has been developed in the field of the projects 'Coastal monitoring of the Mar Menor' and 'High resolution hydrodynamic modeling and data visualization of the Mar Menor' both subsidized by the Autonomous Community of Murcia.
Source: UPCT
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