National Marine Week 2024

27th July – 11th August 2024

With the ocean covering over 70% of the earth there is an incredible amount of sea life to be discovered this National Marine Week! Marine data is always under represented and this is a great opportunity to explore and record the marine life around the British Isles. Why not take part in many of the organized events across the country or take some time to explore the coast and record your findings with iNaturalist this week?

There are some amazing animals to be found in our rock pools at this time of year and the warmer waters always bring an increase in jellyfish sightings. Jellyfish are cnidarians, a phylum distinguished by their stinging cells, known as cnidocytes. Their gelatinous bodies contain a nervous system in the form of a nerve net and although they have no brain they do have sensory organs. Jellyfish are able to maintain their orientation and balance by using a specialized organ called a statocyst and they are able to sense changes in light through their ocelli, very simple eyespots.

We have many different species in the UK such as the commonly found Compass jellyfish, Chrysaora hysoscella (below), but this month iNaturalist has also seen some more unusual sightings of the Whitecross jelly, Staurostoma mertensii, being recorded. The data collected will help researchers understand changes in climate and the health of our oceans.

Posted on 30 July, 2024 08:23 by julbun