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Climate-related increases in jellyfish frequency suggest a more gelatinous future for the North Sea
Attrill, M.J.; Wright, J.; Martin, E. (2007). Climate-related increases in jellyfish frequency suggest a more gelatinous future for the North Sea. Limnol. Oceanogr. 52(1): 480-485
In: Limnology and Oceanography. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography: Waco, Tex., etc. ISSN 0024-3590; e-ISSN 1939-5590
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Open access 136146 [ download pdf ]
Keywords
    Aquatic communities > Plankton > Phytoplankton
    Atmospheric forcing
    Chemical compounds > Carbon compounds > Atmospheric gases > Carbon dioxide
    Climate
    Models
    Motion > Water motion > Water currents > Ocean currents
    Ocean-atmosphere system
    Oscillations
    Properties > Physical properties > Optical properties > Colour
    Tracking
    AN, North Atlantic [Marine Regions]; ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Authors  Top 
  • Attrill, M.J.
  • Wright, J.
  • Martin, E.
Abstract
    Data obtained since 1958 from the continuous plankton recorder show an increasing occurrence of jellyfish in the central North Sea that is positively related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Atlantic inflow to the northern North Sea. Since 1970, jellyfish frequency has been also significantly negatively correlated with mean annual pH, independent of NAO trends. Jellyfish frequency increased in the mid-1980s, coincident with the reported regime shift in the North Sea and tracking trends in phytoplankton color. As models produced under all climate-change scenarios indicate a move toward a positive NAO, and pH of the oceans is predicted to decrease with rising CO2, we suggest that jellyfish frequency will increase over the next 100 yr.
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