Jellyfish blooms, explained
Sudden swarms of jellyfish are a natural event, but their timing and size can tell us something about the water around them.
2 min read
Jellyfish have lived in the ocean for hundreds of millions of years. Many species have a life cycle that lets them multiply quickly when food is plentiful, which is why they can appear in large numbers seemingly overnight.
Warm water, plenty of plankton and fewer predators all favour blooms. Watching when and where they happen, year after year, gives a simple indicator of how conditions are shifting.
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