Sharks Are Massing Off The Coast Of The US In Huge Numbers
Sharknado may seem like a ridiculous premise, but a recent viral Tweet has shown that there is a big mass of Great White Sharks showing up on the East Coast of the United States. That may not seem like a big deal considering the winter months for the East Coast can be brutal, and people will likely not be in the water as a result of the cold, but surfers should absolutely beware.
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Sharknado may seem like a ridiculous premise, but a recent viral Tweet has shown that there is a big mass of Great White Sharks showing up on the East Coast of the United States. That may not seem like a big deal considering the winter months for the East Coast can be brutal, and people will likely not be in the water as a result of the cold, but surfers should absolutely beware.
The graph striking fear into everyone in the US can be seen below. The screenshot shows a mass amount of sharks gathering. The data was gathered on a website called Ocearch.org. The website shows an up-to-date tracking of all tagged sea animals and their traveling habits, due to trackers that have been placed on them by oceanographers and scientists. According to the website’s numbers, they have 200 scientists tracking animals and have 431 tagged animals. While some areas show turtles, the sharks are the biggest groups off the East Coast right now.
A spokesperson for Ocearch has told reporters that they are studying the Northwest Atlantic White Shark and have tagged 83 sharks in the area of the East Coast of the United States, which led to the surge in the numbers that had been posted on Twitter. The Twitter user that posted the image had this to say, “I occasionally log in to check that the nearest Great White is at least 2000 miles (3219 kilometers) away.” The man in question could be an oceanographer himself, or just finds it comforting to know that most Great White Sharks usually keep their distance.
However, Dr. Christopher Lowe, who runs the Shark Lab at California State University believes that the mass amount of sharks shown on the East Coast has a lot to do with climate change and the favorable temperature in which sharks like to spend their time. According to Lowe, “This is typically the season when smaller sharks are migrating to warmer southern waters.” These sharks could be migrating their way from Australia, as a popular beach had been shut down due to a shark sighting and as a man in the water was circled by one. Five days prior to that a man in Perth by the name of Paul Millachip had been mauled to death by a shark.
Great White Sharks are some of the biggest and scariest animals on the planet, and everyone should be wary when there are reports of one being reported in the waters. According to Lowe and many other ocean scientists, the ocean is ever-changing and oceanographic conditions are being rapidly altered by global climate change. These changes can lead to more sightings and waters being filled with more sharks in places where they haven’t traditionally be observed to live or travel through.
While these changes are unexpected, the sharks are likely not a problem, at least for now. As long as these sharks do not turn into a tornado that can effectively shoot them everywhere at a rapid pace, it may still be safe to swim during the summers.
