Anyone who goes for a walk in our Italian neighbors on the Adriatic Sea these days will notice countless jellyfish, some of which are already dead, that are washed up on the beach. For marine biologists, this phenomenon is not uncommon in spring. But due to climate change, it starts earlier and more intensely.
“The water temperature in the Adriatic has increased by one degree over the past decades. That plays a major role for animals,” says Daniel Abed-Navandi from the Haus des Meeres in Vienna. In spring there would be increased sightings of lung jellyfish on the upper Adriatic every year, which would be driven towards the shore by the water current and the wind. This year, however, this phenomenon could be observed particularly early. “As a result of global warming, the jellyfish cycle is about two months faster. In addition, natural predators are missing due to overfishing,” says the marine biologist. Incidentally, the lung jellyfish are harmless to humans.
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