Jellyfish Distribution and Abundance on the Southern Coast of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Jellyfish have a worldwide distribution and are unfortunately renowned for their direct adverse effects on human activities: tourism, fishing, and aquaculture. Although recent research suggests that jellyfish populations are increasing, evidence also shows that jellyfish abundances fluctuate with climatic cycles and spatial patterns. The ocean is impressively large on a human scale and considerably impacts the weather, temperature, and food supply of humans and other organisms. Despite its size and impact on the lives of every organism, the ocean remains a great unknown. Marine geography explores the environment of the oceans and seas and the relationship between society and these water bodies and investigates global challenges of changing ocean systems. However, until the beginning of the twenty-first century, there were few studies of the ocean in geography. This chapter deals with Marine Geography and the Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 14: life below water) to analyze the sightings of jellyfish and other gelatinous organisms on the southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula (Andalusia region, southern Spain) by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Our results show that jellyfish sightings and other gelatinous organisms show spatial and temporal patterns. Pelagia noctiluca was the most observed jellyfish species in the study area, mainly on the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia (southern Spain). Mapping jellyfish sightings can contribute to integrated coastal management regarding human activities and environmental problems.