Most people do not think of a jellyfish as a powerful security threat, but that's just what they have become, after a considerable gaggle of them entered the filtering system of a power station in Sweden. The result was the that power station had to be stopped, in order to clear the clog, or risk overheating the core.
This problem could soon face more than just the random power station. Jellyfish are multiplying in huge numbers, thanks to global warming. And their rise signifies trouble for ecosystems and man made systems alike.
The power station workers at Oskarshamn, in southeastern Sweden, had to rush to shut down the reactors after the jellyfish clogged up the pipes that provide cooling water to the power station's huge turbines.
The power station in question uses the same technology as the Fukushima plant, which melted after the tsunami in 2011.
The moon jellyfish, or Aurelia aurita, responsible for this shutdown, could prove dangerous in the future as their numbers skyrocket. They are well adapted to almost any condition and can thrive even in low oxygen and toxic algae bloom beds.
The Baltic Sea is an almost idyllic environment of incredible beauty. The jellyfish however, could threaten that ecosystem by tipping the scale to their favor, due to their increasing numbers. What is worse, the jellyfish population is not monitored in the Baltic seas, and that alone could pose some serious problems. The next step will be to implement and devise a monitoring plan, in order to tackle the issue before it grows too serious to address.
Source : NBC / 10.3.13
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