JellyWatch!

Heading to the ocean this summer?  While you’re there, exploring the sand, rocks, and waves, spend some time being a Citizen Scientist!  Check the beach for jellyfish, squid, and other unusual marine life, and report your findings to JellyWatch!

Found at jellywatch.org, the program uses data submitted by Citizen Scientists to create a dataset about beach conditions and populations.  Even if you don’t see any jellies or squid, it is important to report beach conditions to JellyWatch.  Scientists need to know as much as they can in order to have good data.  There are resources on the JellyWatch site to help families identify what they’ve found, and photos from sightings can be e-mailed to sightings@jellywatch.org.  The project is a great summer supplement for studies of marine biology, and possibly even the taxonomy of Cnidaria, the phylum in which jellyfish are classified.