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Not since the beginning of time has the

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world known terror like this. There is a

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creature alive today who has survived

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millions of years of evolution. A spinless

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soulless mass of gelatinous goo that

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devours everything within its reach.

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Beware this monster. It may soon arrive

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on your shores. Okay so maybe that's a

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little dramatic but scientists and

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tourists have taken notice of a large

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number of jellyfish arriving on our

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world's beaches. The media has labeled

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this recent takeover of our coastlines

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an invasion. While the term invasion may

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be a little too heavy-handed jellyfish

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populations have been on the rise in

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recent decades. This growth in jellyfish

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populations is dangerous on its own but

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it also indicates a larger imbalance in

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our globe's oceans. For many of us an

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increase in jellyfish populations means

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only one thing: more stings.

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While some jellyfish tentacles pack mild

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toxins and irritants others like the

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sting of the box jellyfish can be lethal.

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Governments across the world have closed

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down beaches in reaction to jellies.

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Just as recently as early January 2019 a

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string of beaches in northeastern

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Australia were closed down after nearly

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four thousand reported stings in a

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single weekend.

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Jellyfish blooms are not only increasing

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in frequency but in their intensity too. A

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typical year shows around 10,000 cases

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of stings in eastern Australia but since

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December 1st of 2018 there have been

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over 22,000 treated jellyfish stings in

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Queensland alone. This staggering

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increase is not an isolated event. It is

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one instance in a growing trend in jelly

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fish blooms.

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Stings from jellyfish are only a small

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part of the havoc that these sea

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creatures can cause. Jelly fish blooms

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have shut down entire power plants by

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clogging the cooling pipes that draw in

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ocean water. In the past decade jelly

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fish blooms have shut down power plants

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in the U.S., Israel, Sweden, Scotland, Japan

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and the Philippines. When they're not

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clogging pipes jellies are devouring

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surrounding marine life. Jellyfish have

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depleted fisheries stocks all over the

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world, often out-competing human fishers

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and completely over running ecosystems.

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The question that scientists seek to

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answer is why are these blooms happening?

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Due to emissions of greenhouse gases

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from human activities we have seen

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global temperatures rise rapidly. As the

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water becomes hotter it is also becoming

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less oxygenated and more acidic. This can

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cause the collapse of ocean biomes that

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provide us with food, breathable air and

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other vital ecological resources.

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According to the Mon Aloha Observatory

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in Hawaii which has mapped co2 emissions

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for the past 50 years there has been a

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steady growth in carbon content within

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our atmosphere.

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This has been commonly attributed to the

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industrial uses of fossil fuels for

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production, transportation and everyday

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living systems. co2 is a key element in

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the formation of carbonic acid within

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our oceans, which is very damaging for

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the often-delicate functions of marine

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life. While jellyfish may seem rather

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wimpish these squishy ainvertebrates

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remain unaffected by these changes in

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the ocean. Studies have shown that

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jellyfish may actually prefer waters

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disturbed by humans.

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Coastal areas that have shown the most

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jellyfish growth are also the most

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industrialized and are often home to

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large structures such as oil rig

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platforms or wind turbines. These

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artificial surfaces provide the perfect

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home for growing baby jellyfish, also

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called polyps, and are only further

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intensifying the blooms. This means that

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as human-made climate change alters the

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oceans, jelly fish blooms will increase

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in scale further disrupting ocean

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processes. This positive feedback loop

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could have disastrous consequences if

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left unchecked. There is no one silver

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bullet that will stop jellyfish blooms

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from harming our oceans but any efforts

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toward reducing our own carbon

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footprints such as riding our bikes,

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turning off unused lights or even eating

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local foods can profoundly impact ocean

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health. Jelly fish blooms do not have to

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mean the beginning of the end.

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With more ocean-conscious decision

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making we can each help prevent this

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invasion

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[Music]