Great white sharks and poisonous jellyfish might terrorise UK seashores for one purpose
Climate change is warming the Earth’s oceans and forcing the creatures that live their to change their habits. A side effect could be great white sharks invading British beaches
Great whites could venture to UK waters in future (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Great white sharks and jellyfish could be popping up in British waters as the ocean warms, experts have said. Climate change may see wildlife move to find better conditions, possibly leading to massive changes in the seaside experience.
Jim Dale, an oceanographer and founder of British Weather Services, told the Daily Mirror: “We’re bound to see species die, and species pop up that ordinarily weren’t there before.” As sea temperatures rise, different species migrate to find the temperature of water they prefer, meaning animals like the great white shark and box jellyfish may find their way to the UK.
Dale stated: “For example, cod like cold water, so they tend to drift further north. Jellyfish like warm water, so we’re swapping cods for jellyfish.”
He added: “The threat has to be there as our oceans and seas warm. It won’t be just great whites either; it’ll be hammerheads and others.
“Everything that’s in the Mediterranean, everything that’s in and around the Canaries, they will be attracted to some of the foods that are in our seas. So the migration of these species, of the great whites and even box jellyfish, will increasingly affect us.”
The Met Office reported last week that the current heatwave has caused the sea in some areas to be four to five degrees hotter than normal. As weather warnings have been issued across various parts of the country this week, the heatwave looks to continue for some time.
Dale believes that this may show clear signs of climate change impacting lives around the country. Dale said: “When it starts to affect families on holiday, and you tell your kids you can’t go in the sea, or, or you can’t build sand castles on the sand, because obviously the sea hits the beach and all the stuff that’s in the sea will, will come onto the beach, it hits home.”
“These sort of things will change the way that we think,” he added.
The Daily Star previously reported on estimates the most recent European heatwave may have taken the lives of up to 25,000 people. However, this claim, made by climate scientist Christopher Callaghan, has been criticised by others in the field.
Dann Mitchell, Professor of climate science at the University of Bristol, said: “Twenty-thousand for a single week seems very large. We’d have to look into details of the modelling to be more sure.”
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