timeliness

Last summer of 2022 was the second in a row that the phenomenon was observed, although especially in the Ionian it was the first time that such an intense flare-up occurred.

According to the Greek Biodiversity Observatory, in the Aegean there was a huge movement in the winter of 2021-2022 from Spain to France, Italy and Malta and then it seems that it probably passed from there to the Ionian.

First estimates for Ionian, Aegean and Attica

According to the first estimates of biodiversitygr.org, for 2023 it is believed that the North Aegean will be clean, with a few isolated appearances of purple jellyfish, while in areas such as Attica and due to last year's situation, it may sometimes be a little more intense appearances of purple jellyfish.

In the Cyclades there may be some isolated sightings, while in Crete "maybe the western side will see a little more than we think it will, as will the Southern Peloponnese".

Finally, for the Ionian Sea, roughly the same picture as last year is expected.

However, it is emphasized that "there is no reason to worry as of now, because everything always depends on the weather and sea currents".

It should be noted that every year during this period there is a natural outbreak of compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella), which usually starts in mid-March and lasts until mid-May, sometimes until early June.

After all, the phenomenon of them washing up on the beaches is already observed, which will intensify in the coming weeks.

At the same time, many areas of the Ionian in winter 2022-2023 reported sightings of purple jellyfish, but not juvenile purple jellyfish, which are orange-brown in color.

It should be noted that the purple jellyfish, in their final stage of development, have a lifespan of up to 9 months, which means that this summer some areas of the Ionian Sea will once again be faced with the phenomenon.