How the rising jellyfish population poses a threat to humans and sea life

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Podcasts Take Two

Oct 22, 2013

Listen • 4:41

How the rising jellyfish population poses a threat to humans and sea life

Lisa-Ann Gershwin, author of "Stung! On Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean," joins the show to talk about the riding numbers of jellyfish and how they can affect human and sea life.

A child looks at jellyfish at the aquarium in Genoa on May 25, 2013.

Lisa-Ann Gershwin, author of "Stung! On Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean," joins the show to talk about the riding numbers of jellyfish and how they can affect human and sea life.

You might have heard about the jellyfish swarm that recently shut down a Swedish nuclear plant. A huge number of jellyfish clogged the pipes that bring water in to cool the plant, forcing it to go offline.

It's not the first time this has happened. Shutdowns have occurred in the Philippines, Japan, even locally the Diablo Canyon reactor near San Luis Obispo, and it's likely this problem could continue. Marine scientists have warned that there has been rapid growth in the jellyfish population.

Lisa-Ann Gershwin, author of "Stung! On Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean," joins the show with more.