6 February 2014 –
Jellyfish: a global perspective – Mike Blackett
Jellyfish have gained notoriety over recent decades. Outbreaks of jellyfish have been increasingly reported around the world, causing economic loss for a range of human activities. Potential links with human impacts on the marine environment, such as climate change and overfishing, have driven speculation that rising jellyfish populations represent the response of a degraded ocean ecosystem.
However, does evidence exist to support the paradigm of globally expanding jellyfish populations?
This talk will provide the audience with an introduction to the biology and ecology of jellyfish. It will outline how jellyfish function and interact with their environment at the individual and population level. Mike will examine evidence of recent changes in jellyfish abundance and discuss potential causes and consequences.
Mike Blackett completed his undergraduate studies in Marine Biology at Newcastle University, where he developed a keen interest in jellyfish. Mike is now undertaking a PhD at NOCS, studying how environmental conditions influence the ecology of the siphonophore, Muggiaea atlantica, in UK coastal waters.
Recordings of previous Marine Life Talks can be found on: www.youtube.com/user/NOCSnews
Next Marine Life Talk
6 March 2014 – Crabs, eels and rubbish: long term studies on the River Thames – Dr Paul F Clark, Aquatic Invertebrates Div, Natural History Museum
Free admission – these talks are open to the public
This talk will be in the Henry Charnock Lecture Theatre, Level 4 and will start at 7.30pm, please arrive at 7.15pm.
Arrangements for wheelchairs must be made in advance. Unless it is possible to descend via the stairs in an emergency, access to upper floors cannot be permitted as lifts are automatically immobilised when the fire alarm is activated.
The National Oceanography Centre is reached via Dock Gate 4 (between Southampton's Town Quay and Ocean Village).