Scientists have discovered that the movement of jellyfish mixes the ocean water. The jellyfish (Mastigias) drag the water as they swim; combining the cold water and mixing it with warmer water higher above. These specific jellyfish drag water because of their thickness in body mass. Even though they are small creatures, jellyfish carry more water with them than large creatures do. Scientist John Dabiri calculated the power generated from this movement to be as much as a trillion watts. These small movements can influence the cycling of heat and carbon in oceans, which are important factors for the global climate. Oceanographer William Dewar of Florida State University in Tallahassee states that the analysis “doesn’t leave a lot of doubt- it’s very convincing.”
This article is an example of hypothesis-based science because the researchers performed an experiment to track the flow of water moving with the jellyfish to prove their findings. They also made calculations and did tests to confirm their research. This article also shows the importance of the global climate and the ecosystems which can have an effect on humans since water is a necessity for life.
By: Rachel Ehrenberg
"Churning water by the numbers: small swimmers may affect ocean mixing and climate"
Science News
August 29,2009
Page 14
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