Abstract

The impact of global climate change is increasingly evident in all marine ecosystems on Earth, but its effects can change considerably at the regional scale. The Mediterranean Sea is a miniature, semi-enclosed warm-temperate basin characterized by lower average depth and very high marine biodiversity. This basin and particularly the Adriatic Sea are undergoing major changes in the physico-chemical conditions, which are altering its biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, with important implications on the provision of goods and services. Several coastal and deep-sea habitats are extremely vulnerable to such changes and immediate measures are needed to protect and enhance the ability of these systems to adapt to climate change impacts.