from this week’s nonsensenyc… SCIENCE:
as someone who grew up on beaches and have been stung by jellyfish three separate times, I am unhappy to report that:
Scientists say the number of jellyfish are on the rise thanks to the increasing acidity of the world’s oceans driving away the creatures’ natural predators. Studies have shown that higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doesn’t just trigger climate change but can make the oceans more acidic. Since the start of the industrial revolution, acidity levels of the oceans have gone up 30 percent, marine biologists say. A report, published in December 2010 by the UN Environment Program, warns that the acidification of oceans makes it harder for coral reefs and shellfish to form skeletons — threatening larger creatures that depend on them for food.
The decline in creatures with shells could trigger an explosion in jellyfish populations. The report said: ‘Ocean acidification has also been tentatively linked to increased jellyfish numbers and changes in fish abundance.’ Jellyfish are immune to the effects of acidification.”
