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, more
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| 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., more
- Wright, J.
- Martin, E.
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| 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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