People in Russian-annexed Crimea have reported vast numbers of Moon Jellyfish, Aurelia sp., in the Balaklava Bay are of the Black Sea over the past month. Moon Jellyfish are a usual occurrence in the Black Sea, but this years swarms are far larger than are usually seen, probably due to a population boom fuelled by unseasonably warm waters, combined
with a high nutrient level in the sea, which can in turn be traced to
high rainfall levels on land, caused by higher evaporation from the warm
water. Although the number of Jellyfish is startling,
there is little cause for concern, as, while Moon Jellyfish can sting,
their venom is not generally strong enough to cause a serious health
risk to Humans.
Moon Jellyfish, Aurelia sp., in Balaklava Bay, Crimea, this month. Evqesha Land/Instagram/Moscow Times.
Members of the genus Aurelia are inshore Jellyfish found in
coastal waters in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas around the
world. They are large Jellyfish, reaching a maximum size of about 40 cm
in diameter, a slight purplish tinge and four large, horseshoe-shaped
gonads. Moon Jellyfish often undergo major blooms in the summer months,
due to their tolerance for low oxygen conditions, which are harmful to
most of their competitors and predators (Fish and large invertebrates),
enabling them to dominate environments where these animals are excluded.
This tends to lead to summer blooms in enclosed areas (heat and lack of
exchange with the open ocean can rapidly deplete oxygen levels), which
can be worse in areas where pollution from agriculture or other Human
activities leads to eutrophication (excess nutrients which can
lead to eutrophication and the
rapid growth of blooms of Algae, Bacteria or other micro-organisms,
which absorb oxygen from the water leading Fish and other aquatic
organisms to asphyxiate).
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