Spring and summer blooms of comb jellies and sea nettles—two types of gelatinous zooplankton—are among the most dramatic of all seasonal changes in the Chesapeake Bay. Joshua Stone of Virginia Institute of Marine Science will use historical data to identify long-term trends in comb jelly and sea nettle abundance over the last 20 years. He will also develop a free smart-phone app that allows users to record sea nettle and other jellyfish sightings. This data will be available to recreational water users and will be uploaded to the Jellyfish Database Initiative for scientific use.
Fellow: Joshua Stone (Virginia Institute of Marine Science)
Advisor: Deborah Steinberg (VIMS)
Outreach mentor: David Malmquist (VIMS)
