Those of us residing on the more temperate coastline of the southern parts of Australia — although we may have our occasional brushes with a jellied beastie — like to smugly look north and thank the heavens that our waters are spared visitations from the world’s most venomous creature: the multi-tentacled box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri. This swimming and seeing ‘bag of toxin’ was stealing headlines again recently, thanks to the miraculous survival of a 10 year-old girl in Queensland who was enveloped by a stinger in a river 23 kilometres from the ocean.
But, perhaps, we shouldn’t be so smug. With ongoing climate change we may find soon find ourselves getting into hot water — both literally and metaphorico-toxinologically.
Susan Jacup‘s has recently published a paper highlighting the potential usefulness of surface water temperature as a way of predicting stings by the box jellyfish. Until now, previous monthly sting counts have been the best indicator of sting likelihood in tropical Australia. However, stings can occur in any month of the year. Sea surface temperature looks to be a determining factor signaling the ‘‘arrival’’ of C. fleckeri each year.
Maybe we should be taking a thermometer along with a bottle of vinegar when we go to northern beaches. It might be wise to dip in a thermometer, rather than a toe, when testing the water. Finally, it is good to hear news of a planned stinger net on Nightcliff beach in Darwin. Especially as the stinger season looks set to expand if sea surface temperatures increase over the coming years. Hopefully the net will keep out the sharks and salties too…
Reference
- Jacups SP (2010). Warmer Waters in the Northern Territory Herald an Earlier Onset to the Annual Chironex fleckeri Stinger Season. EcoHealth [epublished ahead of print] PMID: 20376549
About Chris Nickson
