The first long term time analysis of jellyfish populations ever produced was reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on December 31, 2012.
The truly international group of researcher found scant evidence that recent increases in jellyfish populations that have been reported world wide are the result of ocean acidification or any other climate change related cause.
The scientists assert with proof from more than a century of data collected from fishermen and scientists since 1874 that the recent growth in jellyfish numbers is a “normal” ten year cyclic event that cannot be directly tied to ocean acidification or any other cause of global warming.
The researchers note that some species of jellyfish are increasing at the same time some species are decreasing.
Jellyfish blooms appear to be a normal ten year cycle and what causes the ten year blooms is still unknown.
The researchers do not discount the affect of ocean acidification and climate change on jellyfish but indicate there is no historical evidence available to correlate the recent rise in jellyfish populations with any cause of global warming or ocean acidification.
The researchers propose to use the algorithms derived from this newly developed jellyfish bloom tracking scenario to predict the next jellyfish bloom.
Paper
Recurrent jellyfish blooms are a consequence of global oscillations
Authors
Robert H. Condona,1, Carlos M. Duarteb,c, Kylie A. Pittd, Kelly L. Robinsona,e, Cathy H. Lucasf, Kelly R. Sutherlandg, Hermes W. Mianzanh, Molly Bogeberga, Jennifer E. Purcelli, Mary Beth Deckerj, Shin-ichi Uyek, Laurence P. Madinl, Richard D. Brodeurm, Steven H. D. Haddockn, Alenka Malejo, Gregory D. Parryp,2, Elena Eriksenq, Javier Quiñonesr, Marcelo Achah, Michel Harveys, James M. Arthurd, and William M. Grahamt
aDauphin Island Sea Laboratory, Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium, Dauphin Island, AL 36528; bUniversity of Western Australia Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; cDepartment of Global Change Research, Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados,
Universidad de las Islas Baleares y el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 01790 Esporles, Spain; dAustralian Rivers Institute and Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4111, Australia; eDepartment of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688; fNational Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom; gDepartment of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403; hConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero, Mar del Plata B7602HSA, Argentina; iShannon Point Marine Center, Western Washington University, Anacortes, WA 98221; jDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; kDepartment of Environmental Dynamics and Management, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan; lWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543; mNorthwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, Newport, OR 97365; nMonterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039; oMarine Biology Station Piran, National Institute of Biology, 6330 Piran, Slovenia; pDepartment of Primary Industries, Victorian Fisheries, Queenscliff 3225, VIC, Australia; qInstitute of
Marine Research, 5817 Bergen, Norway; rLaboratorio Costero de Pisco, Instituto del Mar del Perú, Paracas, 11550 Ica, Peru; sDirection des sciences océaniques et de l’environnement, Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Pêches et Océans Canada, Mont-Joli, QC, Canada G5H 3Z4; and tDepartment of Marine Science, University of Southern Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
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