Jellyfish is beautiful but dangerous. Their stings can be painful and even life threatening. A new study published in a British scientific journal revealed that, monitoring changes in ocean winds can help to predict the jellyfish blooms.

Jellyfish usually travel in very large numbers, with their bodies and tentacles invisible in water. So they pose real threat to swimmers and could affect tourism. However, the jellyfish blooms were not predictable till now.

In the new study published Wednesday in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Australian researchers from Queensland University focused on the Great Barrier Reef. They used collated medical records of stings between 1985 and 2012, and studied local weather conditions.

Researchers found that jellyfish blooms largely coincide with relaxation of the prevailing southeasterly trade winds, with average conditions corresponding to near zero alongshore wind on the day prior to the sting.

The trade winds always make turbulent waters, while jellyfish are delicate and they don't like turbulence and cloudy water. When the trade winds drop, the water conditions would improve, and stingers would then rise from the depths and drift to shore.

Although this study focused on Australia, researchers believe that the general principle is the same and this method is also available for other parts of the world. Endi

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