Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives
Science is addressing global societal challenges, and due to limitations in research financing, scientists are turning to the public at large to jointly tackle specific environmental issues. Citizens are therefore increasingly involved in monitoring programs, appointed as citizen scientists with pot...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-06-01
|
| Series: | Diversity |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/274 |
| _version_ | 1797529818305134592 |
|---|---|
| author | Macarena Marambio Antonio Canepa Laura Lòpez Aldo Adam Gauci Sonia K. M. Gueroun Serena Zampardi Ferdinando Boero Ons Kéfi-Daly Yahia Mohamed Nejib Daly Yahia Verónica Fuentes Stefano Piraino Alan Deidun |
| author_facet | Macarena Marambio Antonio Canepa Laura Lòpez Aldo Adam Gauci Sonia K. M. Gueroun Serena Zampardi Ferdinando Boero Ons Kéfi-Daly Yahia Mohamed Nejib Daly Yahia Verónica Fuentes Stefano Piraino Alan Deidun |
| author_sort | Macarena Marambio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Science is addressing global societal challenges, and due to limitations in research financing, scientists are turning to the public at large to jointly tackle specific environmental issues. Citizens are therefore increasingly involved in monitoring programs, appointed as citizen scientists with potential to delivering key data at near to no cost to address environmental challenges, therein fostering scientific knowledge and advising policy- and decision-makers. One of the first and most successful examples of marine citizen science in the Mediterranean is represented by the integrative and collaborative implementation of several jellyfish-spotting campaigns in Italy, Spain, Malta, and Tunisia starting in 2009. Altogether, in terms of time coverage, geographic extent, and number of citizen records, these represent the most effective marine citizen science campaigns thus far implemented in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we analyzed a collective database merging records over the above four countries, featuring more than 100,000 records containing almost 25,000 observations of jellyfish specimens collected over a period of 3 to 7 years (from 2009 to 2015) by citizen scientists participating in any of the national citizen science programs included in this analysis. Such a wide citizen science exercise demonstrates a valuable and cost-effective tool to understanding ecological drivers of jellyfish proliferation over the Western and Central Mediterranean basins, as well as a powerful contribution to developing tailored adaptation and management strategies; mitigating jellyfish impacts on human activities in coastal zones; and supporting implementation of marine spatial planning, Blue Growth, and conservation strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:19:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2324bdd8cdaa428a9796cc840b687d76 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:19:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-2324bdd8cdaa428a9796cc840b687d762023-11-22T00:31:23ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182021-06-0113627410.3390/d13060274Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science InitiativesMacarena Marambio0Antonio Canepa1Laura Lòpez2Aldo Adam Gauci3Sonia K. M. Gueroun4Serena Zampardi5Ferdinando Boero6Ons Kéfi-Daly Yahia7Mohamed Nejib Daly Yahia8Verónica Fuentes9Stefano Piraino10Alan Deidun11Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, SpainEscuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Burgos, 09006 Burgos, SpainInstitut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Msida, MSD 2080, MaltaMARE–Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Agencia Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigacao Tecnologia e Inovacao (ARDITI), 9020-105 Funchal, PortugalStazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, ItalyStazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, ItalyTunisian National Institute of Agronomy, 43, Avenue Charles Nicolle, Tunis 1082, TunisiaDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, QatarInstitut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, SpainConsorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), 00196 Roma, ItalyDepartment of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Msida, MSD 2080, MaltaScience is addressing global societal challenges, and due to limitations in research financing, scientists are turning to the public at large to jointly tackle specific environmental issues. Citizens are therefore increasingly involved in monitoring programs, appointed as citizen scientists with potential to delivering key data at near to no cost to address environmental challenges, therein fostering scientific knowledge and advising policy- and decision-makers. One of the first and most successful examples of marine citizen science in the Mediterranean is represented by the integrative and collaborative implementation of several jellyfish-spotting campaigns in Italy, Spain, Malta, and Tunisia starting in 2009. Altogether, in terms of time coverage, geographic extent, and number of citizen records, these represent the most effective marine citizen science campaigns thus far implemented in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we analyzed a collective database merging records over the above four countries, featuring more than 100,000 records containing almost 25,000 observations of jellyfish specimens collected over a period of 3 to 7 years (from 2009 to 2015) by citizen scientists participating in any of the national citizen science programs included in this analysis. Such a wide citizen science exercise demonstrates a valuable and cost-effective tool to understanding ecological drivers of jellyfish proliferation over the Western and Central Mediterranean basins, as well as a powerful contribution to developing tailored adaptation and management strategies; mitigating jellyfish impacts on human activities in coastal zones; and supporting implementation of marine spatial planning, Blue Growth, and conservation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/274gelatinous zooplanktonscyphozoa<i>Pelagia noctiluca</i><i>Rhizostoma pulmo</i>forecasting systemmitigation tool |
| spellingShingle | Macarena Marambio Antonio Canepa Laura Lòpez Aldo Adam Gauci Sonia K. M. Gueroun Serena Zampardi Ferdinando Boero Ons Kéfi-Daly Yahia Mohamed Nejib Daly Yahia Verónica Fuentes Stefano Piraino Alan Deidun Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives Diversity gelatinous zooplankton scyphozoa <i>Pelagia noctiluca</i> <i>Rhizostoma pulmo</i> forecasting system mitigation tool |
| title | Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives |
| title_full | Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives |
| title_fullStr | Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives |
| title_short | Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives |
| title_sort | unfolding jellyfish bloom dynamics along the mediterranean basin by transnational citizen science initiatives |
| topic | gelatinous zooplankton scyphozoa <i>Pelagia noctiluca</i> <i>Rhizostoma pulmo</i> forecasting system mitigation tool |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/274 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT macarenamarambio unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT antoniocanepa unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT lauralopez unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT aldoadamgauci unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT soniakmgueroun unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT serenazampardi unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT ferdinandoboero unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT onskefidalyyahia unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT mohamednejibdalyyahia unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT veronicafuentes unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT stefanopiraino unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives AT alandeidun unfoldingjellyfishbloomdynamicsalongthemediterraneanbasinbytransnationalcitizenscienceinitiatives |