LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Aloha and happy new year! Welcome to the first Seawords issue of 2020! This joint January-February edition focuses on jellyfish. Swimming with the currents, drifting on the waves, or resting on the sea floor, the members of phylum Cnidaria can be anywhere from 1 centimeter to 36 meters long, and are truly a testament to the dizzying diversity present in the ocean. Turn to Page 6 to find out what kind of jellyfish you are! Read about the essential contributions jellyfish have made to science on Page 10. This issue also celebrates Valentine’s Day by examining the relationships that enable the optimal functionality of the ocean. On Page 14, read about the way jellyfish influence the marine ecosystem around them. Page 23 details the symbiosis between the Hawaiian bobtail squid and Vibrio fischeri. And turn to Page 12 to learn about some of the strangest mating rituals in the sea! The ocean is a truly remarkable place, home to so many incredible organisms, many of which are in danger as a result of climate change (Page 19). As we enter this new decade, caring for the world around us must become a global priority. What would you like to see more of in Seawords? Send in your thoughts!

Thank you for reading!

Zada Boyce-Quentin, Seawords Editor and Alyssa Mincer, Associate Editor

About the Photography -Cover: Jellyfish floating. Photo by: Mark Chinnick, Flickr. -Table of Contents: Moon jelly. Photo by: Bruce Emmerling, Flickr. -Pages 8-9: Upside-down jelly photo by: forgottengenius, Flickr. Fried egg jellyfish photo by: Ralph Behrens, Flickr. Flower hat jellyfish photo by: Mike Chellini, Flickr. Moon jelly photo by: Andrew Wong, Flickr. Lion’s mane jellyfish photo by: W. Carter, Wikimedia. -Calendar: Shore bird. By: Silver Leapers, Flickr. -Back cover: Moon jellies. By: Conal Gallagher, Flickr. -Disclaimer: any photo taken from flickr.com is used under the Creative Commons License and is credited appropriately with links to the user’s Flickr account.

Volume XXXV, Number 1, January/February 2020 Editor: Zada Boyce-Quentin Assistant Editor: Alyssa Mincer Dr. Cynthia Hunter (éminence grise) Jeffrey Kuwabara (éminence grise) Seawords- Marine Option Program University of Hawai‘i, College of Natural Sciences 2450 Campus Road, Dean Hall 105A Honolulu, HI 96822-2219 Telephone: (808) 956-8433 Email: <seawords@hawaii.edu> Website: <http://www.hawaii.edu/mop> Seawords is the monthly newsletter of the Marine Op tion Program at the University of Hawai‘i. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Marine Option Program or of the University of Hawai‘i. Suggestions and submissions are welcome. Submissions may include articles, photography, art work, or anything that may be of interest to the marine community in Hawai‘i and around the world. All photos are taken by MOP unless otherwise credited.

Articles 2: LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 4: JELLYFISH STINGS AND CARE 6: WHAT KIND OF JELLYFISH ARE YOU? 10: HOW A BRAINLESS ORGANISM WON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 12: DEEP SEA ROMANCE 14: PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME: THE INDISPENSIBLE ROLE OF JELLYFISH IN MARINE ECOSYSTEMS 16: PHYTOPLANKTON: PRIMARY PRODUCERS FOR THE WORLD 18: ALGA OF THE MONTH 19: OCEAN TEMPERATURES REACH A RECORD HIGH 20: SUGAR EATING SPONGES 22: GENERATION BLUE 23: BACTERIA OF THE MONTH 24: CALENDAR OF EVENTS