Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Jellyfish Blooms IV pp 81–96Cite as

Associations of large jellyfish distributions with temperature and salinity in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

  • JELLYFISH BLOOMS
  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 220))

Abstract

Climate change may contribute to the increasing frequency and intensity of jellyfish blooms around the world. To test the null hypotheses that distributions did not differ among species of jellyfish or according to temperature salinity, we sampled large jellyfishes using bottom trawl surveys during 2006–2007 in the Yellow Sea (YS) and East China Sea (ECS). The total biomass of large jellyfish in the YS was low in April 2006 in cool waters, increased with warming waters, peaked in early September 2006 (22,891 ± 25,888 kg km–2), and then decreased with cooling to minimal biomass during March 2007. During its peak early September 2006, Nemopilema nomurai was relatively eurythermal and distributed throughout the YS. Cyanea spp. occurred in warmer waters and attained maximum biomass in May 2007 in the ECS. Ulmaridae, which preferred colder temperatures, reached maximum biomass in October 2006 and occurred mainly in the central YS. Aequorea spp. usually occurred in colder waters, with maximum biomass in May 2007 mainly north of 30°N. Our analyses suggest that environmental preferences of the large jellyfish may enable prediction of jellyfish population sizes and distributions in Chinese waters, which is essential in order to address ecological problems caused by large jellyfish blooms in East Asia Waters.

Guest editors: J. E. Purcell, H. Mianzan & J. R. Frost / Jellyfish Blooms: Interactions with Humans and Fisheries

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Alvarino, A., 1971. Siphonophores of the pacific with a review of the world distribution. Bulletin of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography 16: 1–432.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arai, M. N., 2001. Pelagic coelenterates and eutrophication: review. Hydrobiologia 451: 69–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Attrill, M. J., J. Wright & M. Edwards, 2007. Climate–related increases in jellyfish frequency suggest a more gelatinous future for the North Sea. Limnology and Oceanography 52: 480–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Billett, D. S. M., B. J. Bett, C. L. Jacobs, I. P. Rouse & B. D. Wigham, 2006. Mass deposition of jellyfish in the deep Arabian Sea. Limnology and Oceanography 51: 2077–2083.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bray, J. R. & J. T. Curtis, 1957. An ordination of the upland forest communities of southern Wisconsin. Ecological Monographs 27: 325–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur, R. D., M. T. Wilson & J. M. Napp, 1997. Distribution of juvenile pollock relative to frontal structure near the Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea. In Forage Fishes in Marine Ecosystems, American Fisheries Society, Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium Series, no. 14: 573–589.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur, R. D., C. E. Mills, J. E. Overland, G. E. Walters & J. D. Schumacher, 1999. Evidence for a substantial increase in gelatinous zooplankton in the Bering Sea, with possible links to climate change. Fisheries Oceanography 8: 296–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur, R. D., H. Sugisaki & G. L. Hunt Jr, 2002. Increases in jellyfish biomass in the Bering Sea: implications for the ecosystem. Marine Ecology Progress Series 233: 89–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur, R. D., M. B. Decker, L. Ciannelli, J. E. Purcell, N. A. Bond, P. J. Stabeno, E. Acuna & G. L. Hunt Jr, 2008a. Rise and fall of jellyfish in the eastern Bering Sea in relation to climate regime shifts. Progress in Oceanography 77: 103–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur, R. D., C. L. Suchman, D. C. Reese, T. W. Miller & E. A. Daly, 2008b. Spatial overlap and trophic interactions between pelagic fish and large jellyfish in the northern California Current. Marine Biology 154: 649–659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, J., S. Li, F. Ding & L. Yan, 2004. Primary analysis on the jellyfish blooms and its cause in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. Journal of Modern Fisheries Information 19: 10–12 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, J., F. Ding, S. Li, L. Yan, J. Ling, J. Li & Y. Liu, 2005. A study on the quantity distribution of macro-jellyfish and its relationship to sea water temperature and salinity in the East China Sea Region. Acta Ecologica Sinica 25: 440–445 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Chu, P. C., Y. C. Chen & A. Kuninaka, 2005. Seasonal variability of the East China/Yellow Sea surface buoyancy flux and thermohaline structure. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences 22: 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K. R. & R. M. Warwick, 2001. Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation, 2nd ed. PRIMER-E, Plymouth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ding, F. & J. Cheng, 2005. The analysis on fish stock characteristics in the distribution areas of large jellyfish during summer and autumn in the East China Sea region. Marine Fisheries 27: 120–128 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ding, F. & J. Cheng, 2007. Dynamic distribution of Stomolophus meleagris in the East China Sea region. Journal of Fishery Sciences of China 14: 83–89 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dong, J., C. Liu, W. Li, H. Yu, B. Wang & Y. Wang, 2005. The morphology and structure of jellyfish (Cyanea nozakii Kishinouye). Fisheries Science 24: 22–23 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dong, J., C. Liu, Y. Wang & B. Wang, 2006a. Laboratory observations on the life cycle of Cyanea nozakii (Semeostomida, Scyphozoa). Acta Zoologica Sinica 52: 389–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dong, J., B. Wang & C. Liu, 2006b. Morphology of Cyanea nozozakii in different developmental stages. Journal of Fisheries of China 30: 761–766 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, T. K., J. D. R. Houghton, S. M. Buckley, G. C. Hays & J. Davenport, 2007. The broad-scale distribution of five jellyfish species across a temperate coastal environment. Hydrobiologia 579: 29–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Field, J. G., K. R. Clarke & R. M. Warwick, 1982. A practical strategy for analyzing multispecies distribution patterns. Marine Ecology Progress Series 8: 37–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, S., 1982. The medusae of the East China Sea. Studia Marina Sinica 19: 33–42 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao, S., H. Hong & S. Zhang, 2002. Fauna Sinica invertebrate 27 Phylum Cnidaria. Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, W. M., F. Pages & W. M. Hamner, 2001. A physical context for gelatinous zooplankton aggregations: a review. Hydrobiologia 451: 199–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, W. M., D. L. Martin & J. C. Martin, 2003. In situ quantification and analysis of large jellyfish using a novel video profiler. Marine Ecology Progress Series 254: 129–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamner, W. M., L. P. Madin, A. L. Alldredge, R. W. Gilmer & P. P. Hamner, 1975. Underwater observations of gelatinous zooplankton: sampling problems, feeding biology, and behavior. Limnology and Oceanography 20: 907–917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, S. J., J. R. G. Hislop & A. M. Shanks, 1990. North Sea scyphomedusae; summer distribution, estimated biomass and significance particularly for 0-group gadoid fish. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 25: 113–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He, F. & H. Hong, 1999. Variation of hydrologic structure and circulation in relation to ENSO events in the Kuroshio area in the East China Sea and its adjacent seas. Transactions of Oceanology and limnology 4: 16–24 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong, H. X. & S. M. Zhang, 1982. Edible jellyfish in the coasts of China. Journal of Jimei University 1: 12–17 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hur, H. B., G. A. Jacobs & W. J. Teague, 1999. Monthly variations of water masses in the Yellow and East China Seas, November 6, 1998. Journal of Oceanography 55: 171–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, G. A., H. B. Hur & S. K. Riedlinger, 2000. Yellow and East China Seas response to winds and currents. Journal of Geophysical Research (C Oceans) 105: 21947–21968.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawahara, M., S.-I. Uye, K. Ohtsu & H. Iizumi, 2006. Unusual population explosion of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) in East Asian waters. Marine Ecology Progress Series 307: 161–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H., J. Li, F. Ding & J. Cheng, 2007. Distribution characteristics of Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) and zooplankton in East China Sea. Chinese Journal of Ecology 26: 1974–1980 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, S. X., X. Q. Shen, Y. Q. Wang & S. X. Han, 1992. Preliminary analysis of distribution and variation of perennial monthly mean water masses in the Bohai Sea, the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica 11: 483–498.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, G. M., S. Sun, H. Wang, Y. Zhang, B. Yang & P. Ji, 2003. Abundance of Calanus sinicus across the tidal front in the Yellow Sea, China. Fisheries Oceanography 12: 291–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam, C. P., S. J. Hay & A. S. Brierley, 2005. Jellyfish abundance and climatic variation: contrasting responses in oceanographically distinct regions of the North Sea, and possible implications for fisheries. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85: 435–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mianzan, H. W. & R. A. Guerrero, 2000. Environmental patterns and biomass distribution of gelatinous macrozooplankton. Three study cases in the South-western Atlantic Ocean. Scientia Marina 64: 215–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mironov, G. N., 1971. Biomass and distribution of the jellyfish Aurelia aurita (L.) based on data of trawling catches in 1949–1962 in the Black Sea. Biologiyamorya 24: 49–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Omori, M. & W. M. Hamner, 1982. Patchy distribution of zooplankton: behavior, population assessment and sampling problems. Marine Biology 72: 193–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omori, M. & M. Kitamura, 2004. Taxonomic review of three Japanese species of edible jellyfish (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae). Plankton Biology and Ecology 51: 36–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Park, S., P. C. Chu & J. H. Lee, 2011. Interannual-to-interdecadal variability of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass in 1967–2008: characteristics and seasonal forcings. Journal of Marine Systems 87: 177–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, J. E., 2005. Climate effects on formation of jellyfish and ctenophore blooms: a review. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85: 461–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, J. E., E. D. Brown, K. D. E. Stokesbury, L. H. Haldorson & T. C. Shirley, 2000. Aggregations of the jellyfish Aurelia labiata: abundance, distribution, association with age-0 walleye pollock, and behaviors promoting aggregation in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. Marine Ecology Progress Series 195: 145–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, J. E., S. Uye & W. T. Lo, 2007. Anthropogenic causes of jellyfish blooms and their direct consequences for humans: a review. Marine Ecology Progress Series 350: 153–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shenker, J. M., 1984. Scyphomedusae in surface waters near the Oregon coast, May-August 1981. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 19: 619–632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiganova, T. A., 1998. Invasion of the Black Sea by the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi and recent changes in pelagic community structure. Fisheries Oceanography 7: 305–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiganova, T. A., 2005. Changes in appendicularian Oikopleura dioia abundance caused by invasion of alien ctenophores in the Black Sea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85: 477–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Su, Y. S. & X. C. Weng, 1994. Watermasses in China Seas. In Zhou, D., Y. B. Liang & C. K. Tseng (eds), Oceanology of China Seas, Vol. 1. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht: 3–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suchman, C. L. & R. D. Brodeur, 2005. Abundance and distribution of large medusae in surface waters of the northern California Current. Deep-Sea Research Part II 52: 51–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, Q., X. Jin, Y. Zheng & T. Meng, 2006. Marine living resources and inhabited environment of Chinese exclusive economic zones. Science Press, Beijing: 3–28 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Teague, W. J. & G. A. Jacobs, 2000. Current observations on the development of the Yellow Sea Warm Current. Journal of Geophysical Research (C Oceans) 105: 3401–3411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uye, S.-I., 2011. Human forcing of the copepod–fish–jellyfish triangular trophic relationship. Hydrobiologia 666: 71–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uye, S. & Y. Ueta, 2004. Recent increase of jellyfish populations and their nuisance to fisheries in the Inland Sea of Japan. Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Oceanography 68: 9–19 (in Japanese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Uye, S., N. Fujii & H. Takeoka, 2003. Unusual aggregations of the scyphomedusa Aurelia aurita in coastal waters along western Shikoku, Japan. Plankton Biology and Ecology 50: 17–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, R., T. Zuo & K. Wang, 2003. The Yellow Sea cold bottom water – an oversummering site for Calanus sinicus (Copepoda, Crustacea). Journal of Plankton Research 25: 169–185.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, H., L. Wang, Y. A. Lin & C. S. Chung, 2002. Nutrient transport across the thermocline in the Central Yellow Sea. Advances in Marine Science 20: 15–20 (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei, H., J. Su, R. Wan, L. Wang & Y. Lin, 2003. Tidal front and the convergence of anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) eggs in the Yellow Sea. Fisheries Oceanography 12: 434–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weng, X., Y. Zhang, C. Wang & Q. Zhang, 1989. The variational characteristics of the Huanghai Sea (Yellow Sea) cold water mass. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 19: 368–379 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan, L., S. Li & F. Ding, 2004. The preliminary studies on the dynamics of macro-jellyfish resources and their relationship with fisheries in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea. Marine Fisheries 26: 9–12 (in Chinese with English Abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, S. W., Q. Y. Wang, Y. Lu, H. Cui & Y. L. Yuan, 2008. Observation of the seasonal evolution of the Yellow Sea cold water mass in 1996–1998. Continental Shelf Research 28: 442–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. D. Huang and Dr. H. Wei for contributing CTD data. We are grateful to the captain and crew of the RV “Beidou” for their efforts in the field and to the people who provided support in our sampling. We also thank the reviewers and editors for their suggested improvements to the manuscript. Funding for this research was provided by the national key fundamental developing projects Nos. 2011CB403601 and 2006CB400606 to S. Sun, NSFC project No. 40606036 to F. Zhang, and public science and technology research funds projects of ocean No. 201005018 to C. Li.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China

    Song Sun & Chaolun Li

  2. Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 106 Nanjing Road, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China

    Xianshi Jin

Authors
  1. Fang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Song Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xianshi Jin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Chaolun Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Song Sun .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Western Washington University, Shannon Point Marine Center, Shannon Point Road 1900, 98221, Anacortes, Washington, USA

    Jennifer Purcell

  2. INIDEP, Paseo V. Ocampo no. 1, 7602, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Hermes Mianzan

  3. School of Forest Resources and Conservat, Fisheries and Aquatic Science Program, University of Florida, NW 71st Street 7922, 32653, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Jesscia R. Frost

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Zhang, F., Sun, S., Jin, X., Li, C. (2012). Associations of large jellyfish distributions with temperature and salinity in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. In: Purcell, J., Mianzan, H., Frost, J.R. (eds) Jellyfish Blooms IV. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 220. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5316-7_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation