Scourge of the Jellies: Small Fish Shows How Ecosystems Adjust to Potentially Catastrophic Changes
Thursday, July 15, 2010 - 18:35
in Earth & Climate
Jellyfish are returning to prominence in the world's oceans, thanks to a combination of overfishing, climate change and even " dead zones ". A case in point is in the Benguela Current , an upwelling in the South Atlantic off the coast of Namibia and South Africa. Sardines thrived here, feeding on the rich blooms of plankton fertilized by nutrients carried along by rising deep ocean waters. The sardines, in turn, were consumed by everything from seabirds and sea lions to predatory fish like the mackerel. [More] South Africa - Namibia - Climate change - Benguela Current - Plankton