The world’s largest nuclear reactor of its kind, located in southeastern Sweden, had to be shut down when it fell under siege to an onslaught of jellyfish.
Unless they bite, jellyfish seem fairly harmless.
You may be surprised to learn that the world’s largest nuclear reactor of its kind, located in southeastern Sweden, had to be shut down when it fell under siege to an onslaught of jellyfish.
To prevent overheating, the tubes in the boiling-water reactor must constantly be cooled by water, which in this case comes rushing in via the plant’s inlet on the Baltic coast.
During that process, what’s been estimated as “tons” of jellyfish hitched a ride into the intake pipes and clogged up the cooling system.
This isn’t the first time it’s happened at that plant.
In August of 2005 an influx of jellies required that the workings of another of the plant’s reactors be halted.
The problem with moon jellyfish, the culprits in this scenario, is that they are currently experiencing a “bloom” cycle, resulting in large numbers where little existed before.
They tend to live alone, carried by the ocean’s currents. Their stings are not considered fatal and often cannot be detected.
When blooming however, the large numbers of the translucent ocean dwellers can cause damage – in this case knocking out the source of 5 percent of Sweden’s power.
