#warmingoceans — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #warmingoceans, aggregated by home.social.
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NOT so harmless...
Excerpt: "Introducing #KareniaMikimotoi
"The species responsible for recent events in #SouthAustralia beaches, #KMikimotoi, causes harmful #algal blooms in #Asia, #Europe, #SouthAfrica and #SouthAmerica, as well as #Australia and #NewZealand. These blooms all caused fish deaths, and some also caused #breathing difficulties among local #beachgoers.
"The most drastic of these K. mikimotoi blooms have occurred in China over the past two decades. In 2012, more than 300 square kilometres of abalone farms were affected, causing about A$525 million in lost production.
Explaining the toxic effects
"Microalgae can damage the gills of fish and shellfish, preventing them from breathing. This is the main cause of death. But some studies have also found damage to the gastrointestinal tracts and livers of fish.
"Tests using fish gill cells clearly show the dramatic toxic effect of K. mikimotoi. When the fish gill cells were exposed to intact K. mikimotoi cells, after 3.5 hours more than 80% of the fish cells had died.
"Fortunately, the toxin does not persist in the environment after the K. mikimotoi cells are dead. So once the bloom is over, the marine environment can recover relatively quickly.
"Its toxicity is partly due to the algae’s production of 'reactive oxygen species', reactive forms of oxygen molecules which can cause the deaths of cells in high doses. K. mikimotoi cells may also produce lipid (fat) molecules that cause some toxic effects.
"Finally, a very dense bloom of microalgae can sometimes reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water column, which means there is less oxygen for other marine life.
"The human health effects are not very well known but probably relate to the reactive oxygen species being an irritant.
"K. mikimitoi cells can also produce 'mucilage', a type of thick, gluey substance made of complex sugars, which can accumulate #bacteria inside it. This can cause 'sea foam', which was evident on beaches last week.
"A question for many people is whether increasing water temperatures make blooms of K. mikimotoi more likely.
"Another concern is whether nutrient runoff from farms, cities and #aquaculture could cause more harmful algal blooms.
"Unfortunately, for Australia at least, the answer to these questions is we don’t know yet. While we know some harmful algal blooms do increase when nutrient runoff is higher, others actually prefer fewer nutrients or colder temperatures.
"We do know warmer water species seem to be moving further south along the Australian coastline, changing #phytoplankton species abundance and distribution.
"While some microalgal blooms can cause bioluminescence that is beautiful to watch, others such as K. mikimotoi can cause skin and respiratory irritations.
If you notice discoloured water, fish deaths or excessive sea foam along the coast or in an estuary, avoid fishing or swimming in the area and notify local primary industry or environmental authorities in your state."
#OceanHealth #Beaches Algae #SeaFoam #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #KareniaMikimotoi #WarmingOceans #Radioactivity #NutrientRunoff #OceansAreLife #ROS #SkinIrritations #RespiratoryIrration #ReactiveOxygenSpecies #DeadZones
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From #Arctic heat to #megafires, #WMO report shows climate change completely reshaping #Europe
By Andrei Ionescu, 6/2/2026
"In the far north, climate change is not some distant warning anymore. It is already reshaping the landscape.
"Across Alaska and Canada, Arctic and boreal regions are warming up to four times faster than the global average.
"That puts a huge amount of pressure on #ecosystems that have long helped slow climate change by pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and storing it in #trees, #shrubs, and #soil.
When forests stop helping"The trouble is, those ecosystems do not always stay helpful under stress.
"As wildfires grow more intense, drought becomes more common, and other disturbances spread, parts of the north may start giving #carbon back to the atmosphere instead of locking it away.
"Once that happens, the whole climate system becomes harder to stabilize.
"That is why scientists care so much about #biomass, the total amount of living plant material across these landscapes."
Read more:
https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-forests-could-be-hiding-a-major-climate-surprise/#BorealForests #ArcticForests #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans #Heatwaves
#ArcticEcosystems #OceansAreLife -
#Jellyfish Keep Attacking #NuclearPowerPlants
By Gabriel Geiger
November 2, 2021"Jellyfish are continuing to clog the cooling intake pipes of a nuclear power plant in Scotland, which has previously prompted a temporary shutdowns of the plant.
"The #TornessNuclearPowerPlant has reported concerns regarding jellyfish as far back as 2011, when it was forced to shut down for nearly a week—at an estimated cost of $1.5 million a day—because of the free-swimming marine animals.
"In a short comment to Motherboard, #EDFEnergy, which runs the Torness plant, said that 'jellyfish blooms are an occasional issue for our power stations,' but also said that media reports claiming the plant had recently been taken offline because of jellyfish are 'inaccurate.' '[There were] no emergency procedures this or last week related to jellyfish or otherwise,' a spokesperson said. [Um, did they previously work for #TEPCOLies?]
" 'Like many other seaside power plants, the Torness plant uses seawater to prevent overheating. While there are measures in place to prevent aquatic life from entering the intake pipes, according to the #BulletinOfTheAtomicScientists, they are no match for the sheer number of jellyfish that come during so-called 'jellyfish blooms.'
" 'Usually, screens prevent aquatic life and similar debris from being drawn into the power plants’ cooling system,' the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists wrote in a 2015 blog post. 'But when sufficiently large volumes of jellyfish or other aquatic life are pulled in, they block the screens, reducing the volume of water coming in and forcing the reactor to shut down.'
"While the case in Scotland has once again spotlighted concerns regarding the jellyfish and potential power plant shutdowns, these concerns are far from new. In 2008, a swarm of jellyfish shut down a nuclear power plant [#DiabloCanyon -- which had another incident in 2024] in #California, and three years later the same occurred at a plant in Japan [#Shimane]. In 2017, jellyfish clogged a power plant in Israel [#Hadera]."
Source:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jellyfish-keep-attacking-nuclear-power-plants/#GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans
#ChangingOceans #OceansAreLife #OceanTemperatures #ClimateCrisis #Overfishing #NoDeepSeaMining #NoNewNukes #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #Oskarshamn #Torness #RethinkNotRestart -
#Jellyfish are taking over the world – and #ClimateChange could be to blame
Jan 8, 2019
by Sean Fleming
Senior Writer, Forum Stories"For 500 million years, jellyfish have been part of the maritime #ecosystem, but now they’re poised to take over the earth.
"They have no brain, no eyes, no spine, not even blood, but they have a remarkable capacity to reproduce and can pack an impressive sting, both literally and figuratively.
"Most recently, vast numbers of bluebottle jellyfish were pushed ashore by unusually strong winds and spells of hot weather in #QueenslandAustralia, stinging thousands of people and forcing the closure of popular swimming spots. About 13,000 stings were recorded in the past week.
"In June last year, over the course of just one week, over 1,000 people were stung in Volusia County, #Florida, following a period of exceptionally prolific jellyfish blooms. The explosion in their numbers has been attributed to warming seas and even increased pollution; unlike many other marine creatures, jellyfish can cope with reduced oxygen levels.
Small but deadly – at least some of the time
"Typically, jellyfish range in size from 1cm to 40cm. But they can be significantly larger – the #LionsManeJellyfish, for example, can reach 1.8 metres wide, with tentacles over 15 metres long.
"For the most part, the sting of a jellyfish is more unpleasant than it is harmful. The pain comes from venom delivered via millions of microscopic barbs in the creatures’ tentacles. Most jellyfish stings will only have a localized effect on the victim – redness, swelling, and discomfort where the barbs make contact with the skin.
"Some, however, will prompt a systemic, whole body, reaction. These may take several hours to emerge and can include symptoms such as headaches, nausea and drowsiness.
"In rare cases, the sting can be fatal. This is true of the #BoxJellyfish, which is spreading into waters that had previously been too cool to support it; its venom causes a severe reaction that can cause death within minutes.
A force of destruction
"But these booming jellyfish populations are doing far more harm than ruining people’s trips to the beach. In fact, the scope of their disruption has extended far beyond the water’s edge.
"In 2011, both reactors at the #TornessNuclearPowerPlant in #Scotland were shut down after an invasion of jellyfish started blocking the cooling filters. Two years later, the jellyfish struck again – this time in #Sweden. They forced the closure of the #OskarshamnNuclearPowerPlant, which contains the world’s largest boiling-water reactor.
"The island of Luzon, home of the Phillippines’ capital Manilla, suffered a blackout in 1999 due to jellyfish, and in 2006 the #USSRonaldReagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was brought to a standstill by thousands of the little creatures. And while these events may stand out as exceptions, they are increasing in both scale and frequency.
"From sea-bed diamond mining in Namibia to salmon farming in Ireland, even jeopardising the sustainability of beluga caviar farming in the Caspian Sea, jellyfish are as destructive as they are abundant. And that abundance is being caused by a variety of factors, many of which are related to human activity.
Some like it hot
"Over the last hundred or so years, the average surface temperature of the world’s seas has risen by about 0.9°C. As the oceans get warmer, marine animals are able to spread into areas that had historically been too cold. Oxygen levels in the sea have fallen by around 2% over the last 50 years, due to rising temperatures and #pollution [including #NuclearOceanDumping, which reduces oxygen levels]
"Jellyfish can thrive in areas with lower oxygen levels, where other animals suffer. But there are other factors at work, too. Fishing has depleted the global stocks of some of the jellyfish’s natural predators – such as #tuna and #swordfish – and some they compete with for food – such as anchovies. With more food and fewer predators, some jellyfish populations can grow unchecked.
"In the #BlackSea, unchecked population growth is precisely what’s happened. #AnchovyFishing in the region had caused harm to the Black Sea’s ecosystem by the time stowaway jellyfish made the journey there from the eastern seaboard of the USA. Most likely transported in the ballast water of ships that made the crossing, 1982 saw the arrival of the warty comb jelly. By 1990, there were 900 million tons of them in the Black Sea.
"There are believed to be around 200 different species of jellyfish, not all of which can sting, and some are considered edible. This could offer one potential, and creative, approach toward dealing with an over-abundance of jellyfish – co-opting them onto our dinner plates." [That's one way to deal with invasive species -- eat them into extinction!]
Source:
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/01/how-an-explosion-of-jellyfish-is-wreaking-havoc/#GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans
#ChangingOceans #OceansAreLife #OceanTemperatures #ClimateCrisis #Overfishing #NoDeepSeaMining #NoNewNukes #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #Oskarshamn #Torness -
#Jellyfish are taking over the #oceans due to #ClimateChange
Written by Inaara Thawer
on Nov 1, 2022"Climate change and human activity have impacts that ripple through all ecosystems. Their negative effects can lead to population imbalances across these various #ecosystems. While populations of many species are declining because they are unable to survive the rapid #EnvironmentalChanges, this is often not the case for venomous aquatic life like #SeaUrchins and jellyfish. In fact, these populations are increasing across the globe, with damaging effects on other living #AquaticOrganisms and human activity."
View slideshow here:
https://inhabitat.com/jellyfish-are-taking-over-the-oceans-due-to-climate-change/#GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans
#ChangingOceans #OceansAreLife #OceanTemperatures #ClimateCrisis -
#ClimateChange - the gift that keeps on stinging!
Spike in #jellyfish sightings prompts coastal safety warnings across #Maine
#SouthernMaine communities advise beachgoers to stay alert with increased jellyfish sightings.
Published: 3:29 PM EDT June 24, 2025
Updated: 8:49 PM EDT June 24, 2025MAINE, USA — "Coastal communities in southern Maine are warning beachgoers to stay alert after a rise in jellyfish sightings, including the presence of large #LionsManeJellyfish and #MoonJellies along the shoreline.
"Municipal officials and public safety departments have issued safety advisories in recent days for swimmers, families, and pet owners visiting local beaches.
" 'Today, you may notice our lifeguards flying a purple flag alongside the green flag,' the #OgunquitME Fire Department said in a social media post. 'This indicates the presence of marine life hazards—specifically an increase in lion’s mane and moon jellyfish in our local waters, as well as at other beaches along the Maine coast.'
"While most jellyfish encounters are not harmful, officials said there have been 'a few instances of jellyfish stings locally.' Lion’s mane jellyfish, in particular, can deliver painful stings that remain potent even after the jellyfish wash ashore.
"In #EliotME, police issued a warning after recent sightings near Dead Duck at the Eliot Boat Basin. The department urged caution, especially for families with dogs.
" 'Dogs are especially at risk,' the Eliot Police Department said. 'Curious sniffing or contact can lead to serious injury or illness.'
"Officials recommend keeping pets and young children away from the water’s edge if jellyfish are visible. In addition to avoiding contact, beachgoers are encouraged to report sightings to lifeguards.
"At #WillardBeach in #SouthPortlandME, a nearly five-foot-wide lion’s mane jellyfish was spotted over the weekend, according to the city’s parks and recreation department. Lifeguards have been trained to safely remove jellyfish that wash ashore using tools like shovels.
" 'If you see one, don’t touch it,' the city advised in a public post. 'They sting. Observe it—they’re interesting to watch and pretty too.'
"Those interested in helping marine researchers track #JellyfishSightings can report #observations through regional #CitizenScience platforms or agencies like the #GulfOfMaineResearchInstitute or #BigelowLaboratory for Ocean Sciences.
"In the meantime, officials are reminding visitors to enjoy Maine’s beaches safely and stay informed."
#GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans #ClimateDiary #MaineClimateDiary #MarineLife #ChangingOceans #OceansAreLife #OceanTemperatures