Physical processes determining the distribution patterns of Nemopilema nomurai in the East China Sea.

The giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai is the largest and most dangerous jellyfish species in East Asian waters, and the N. nomurai bloom causes serious problem in coastal industries, fisheries, and tourism. In the previous surveys, we found N. nomurai could not be observed in the south of 30°N. In this paper, we analyzed the mechanism of this phenomenon. After exploring the possible impacts of different environmental factors, we found that physical processes are essential to the distribution pattern of N. nomurai rather than biological or chemical factors in the East China Sea. The combination of the location of the initial breeding places of N. nomurai and the current system determine the distribution pattern. This study could provide important insights to the potential control of the giant jellyfish in the Chinese coastal waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]