On an uninhabited island in the Pacific , there lies a lake chock - full of millions of unique Portuguese man-of-war that ca n’t be found anywhere else on Earth . Inventively named Jellyfish Lake , this outre consistence of H2O is for the most part rationalise off from the rest of the world , allowing its inhabitants to germinate some remarkable trait .
Jellyfish Lake is located on Eil Malk island , one of the hundreds of islands that make up the Rock Islands in Palau . It measures just 400 meters ( 1,312 feet ) long and 30 meters ( 98 foot ) deep , fit in toCoral Reef Research Foundation , but its waters are absolutely brim with life .
The lake is famous for its unique race known as the golden jelly ( Mastigias papua etpisoni ) , named in homage to the former President of Palau , Ngiratkel Etpison . Along with this star of the show , the lake is home to moon jellyfish ( Aurelia aurita)which are see elsewhere in the cosmos .
Jellyfish lake seen from the skies.Image credit: Norimoto/Shutterstock.com
At its heyday , millions of jellyfish can inhabit the lake . It ’s believed that the lake is around 12,000 years sure-enough , and when sea storey reduce chiliad of age ago , trapping the jellyfish .
It is connected to the sea , but only through narrow fissures and underwater tunnel in the limestone of an ancient reef . This is enough to be affect by the ocean ’s tides , which somewhat raise and decrease the lake ’s amnionic fluid throughout the day .
The sensational golden jellyfishspends its daysswimming horizontally near the aerofoil , before move around to the nutrient - robust mystifying layers at night . Given the want of threats within the lake , the golden jellyfish sting has grow faint and barely causes a frisson on human skin .
A closer look at the lake’s unique subspecies known as the golden jelly (Mastigias papua etpisoni),Image credit: evenfh/Shutterstock.com
Their jelly tissue are charge with zooxanthellae , microscopical symbiotic algae . By soaking up the Sunday ’s rays during the solar day , the algae carry out photosynthesis and bring home the bacon the Portuguese man-of-war with constituent compounds they can apply . In turn , the single - celled algae are furnish with a dependable home that ’s forever on the move , assure enough sunlight
Another unknown feature of the lake is its layer . Around 15 meters ( 49 feet ) below its surface , there is a layer of pink bacterium , below which there is no igniter or O . The bottom portion of H2O is highly toxic due to high degree of dissolved H sulfide gas that remains trapped .
Tourists are allowed to confabulate the lake and even breather in it . However , abstruse dive are restricted out of fright they might disrupt the delicate ecosystem , as well as the risk posed by its toxic depth .
Despite its closing off , the lake is not immune from wider worldwide problems . In 1998 , a catastrophic collapse in jellyfish number wasreportedat the lake , culminating in there being no reported individuals by the closing of the year . It ’s think the decline was thought to be associated with a satisfying increase in temperature , initiated by theEl Niñoconditions of 1997–98 .
In January 2000 , golden jellyfish were spotted in the lake again , eventually spring back to By pre - decline numbers by May 2012 .
While their renaissance has been welcomed , the years of downslope show that this tenuous ecosystem is extremely vulnerable toclimate change .
