Biology Forum › Zoology Discussion › Biological Jubilee – HELP!!
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- July 25, 2005 at 3:49 am #1532MedebbieParticipant
Can anyone please tell me where I might be able to find out some information on Biological Jubilee? My Biology II Professor said we could get extra credit for identifying it but I have not been able to find it anywhere!! I will gladly do any footwork to find this out but I am at a brick wall as to where to look. I have checked our college library, the CDC (because we were studing bacteria), NASA, Google, Yahoo, MSN, and World Book Encyclopedia. The only hint he would give to us is “The Southern Part of North America”. Any ideas as to where else I might look would be GREATLY appreciated.
- July 25, 2005 at 1:35 pm #27442b_d_41501Participant
OMG do a google search with the following: “Biological Jubilee”. I was shocked with what came up!! 😳 The only thing I’m coming up with is that it might be a book producer???
- July 26, 2005 at 4:15 am #27478MedebbieParticipant
Thanks for trying – I too got some of those sites – I really don’t think this is what he had in mind though – Thanks again for trying
- July 26, 2005 at 1:31 pm #27511b_d_41501Participant
No problem. Hopefully he didn’t have this in mind, unless he’s a perv. 😀
- July 28, 2005 at 12:19 am #27618MedebbieParticipant
For anyone who might be interested below is what I found out
Mobile Bay Jubilee
Jubilee is the name used locally for a natural phenomenon that occurs from time to time on the shores of Mobile Bay, USA. During a jubilee, blue crabs, shrimp and fish swarm toward the shore in such numbers that the shallow water near land seems to boil with life. People living near the shore rush down to the water with washtubs, gigs and nets, and gather a bountiful — and easily reaped — harvest of seafood. As jubilees only happen on warm summer nights, often in the early pre-dawn hours, the event takes on the aspect of a joyous community beach party.
No one knows what causes a jubilee. One theory revolves around oxygen depletion caused by decay of organic material settling on the bottom of the bay, a process that is accelerated during the summer. Coupled with certain climatic conditions, this is believed to drive the crabs, shrimp and fish (particularly the bottom dwelling ones) toward the shore in a desperate search for more oxygen-rich water.
Jubilees cannot be predicted with certainty. Local folklore offers some clues for telling when one might be in the offing: The water is calm the day before and during the event itself, the wind is gentle and blowing from the east, the tide is rising, and the sky is cloudy or overcast. Not all of these conditions must be present before a jubilee can occur, though, nor does the presence of all of them at once guarantee a jubilee. To the residents of Mobile Bay’s eastern and western shores, the jubilee remains as a mysterious — and most welcomed — gift from nature.
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Bay_Jubilee”
- July 28, 2005 at 4:43 am #27634mithParticipant
Very cool!
- August 15, 2005 at 3:18 am #28444jeddings6815Participantquote Medebbie:Can anyone please tell me where I might be able to find out some information on Biological Jubilee? My Biology II Professor said we could get extra credit for identifying it but I have not been able to find it anywhere!! I will gladly do any footwork to find this out but I am at a brick wall as to where to look. I have checked our college library, the CDC (because we were studing bacteria), NASA, Google, Yahoo, MSN, and World Book Encyclopedia. The only hint he would give to us is “The Southern Part of North America”. Any ideas as to where else I might look would be GREATLY appreciated.
“Jubilee” – generally considered a time of great rejoicing – holds a special meaning around Mobile Bay on the Eastern Shore. To folks around Daphne and the rest of the Eastern Shore, it means a “phenomenon” which brings blue crabs, shrimp, and fish swimming from the depths of the bay into the shallow waters of the shoreline. Generally, the bottom fish, such as flounders, catfish, and stingrays, are the most affected. Crabs are almost always a part of the event.
The phenomenon in Mobile Bay has been studied very little. However, scientific evidence and local “folklore” observed that Jubilees occur only in summer months, usually in the early dawn hours before sunrise. The bay is usually calm or slick on the previous day and during the Jubilee. The wind is usually gentle and from an easterly direction on the day before and during the Jubilee; a change in wind direction will stop a Jubilee. There is usually a rising tide during a Jubilee; a change to a falling tide will stop a Jubilee. The sky on the previous day may be cloudy and overcast. The theory is that each year tons of leaves, plants and wood debris are brought into Mobile Bay by waters from the Blakeley, Apalachee, Tensaw & Mobile Rivers. This material settles to the bottom of the bay and decays.
During summertime, decomposition is accelerated and the oxygen supply is rapidly depleted from the layer of salty water along the bottom of the bay. This loss of oxygen occurs generally when the waters are calm and the east wind blows oxygen bearing surface waters away from the eastern shoreline of the bay. When this occurs the tide moves in and brings saltier bottom waters which are devoid of oxygen near the shoreline.Meanwhile, locals make ready lanterns, giggs, scoop nets, buckets, baskets, tubs, canvas sacks, or whatever it takes to harvest the anticipated bounty of seafood. As the tide comes in, the bottom dwelling fish, shrimp, and crabs are forced to move into the shoreline and are eventually trapped in shallow water at the beach where the locals are waiting to shout “Jubilee!” The waters come alive with a variety of seafood that can be scooped up by the tubfulls to be frozen and enjoyed all year long. As dawn comes and the sun rises, those fish not caught, revive with oxygen to swim to safety once again in the beautiful bay. For those who may disbelieve . . . this is most definitely not just another “Fish Tale!”
- January 25, 2010 at 4:15 am #96997dikat5Participant
This phenoneum only happens in Mobile Bay in Alabama. Here is what expert.com has to say about it;
At pre-dawn hours, the event takes on the aspect of a joyous community beach party.
No one knows what causes a jubilee. One theory revolves around oxygen depletion caused by decay of organic material settling on the bottom of the bay, a process that is accelerated during the summer. Coupled with certain climatic conditions, this is believed to drive the crabs, shrimp and fish (particularly the bottom dwelling ones) toward the shore in a desperate search for more oxygen-rich water.Jubilees cannot be predicted with certainty. Local folklore offers some clues for telling when one might be in the offing: The water is calm the day before and during the event itself, the wind is gentle and blowing from the east, the tide is rising, and the sky is cloudy or overcast. Not all of these conditions must be present before a jubilee can occur, though, nor does the presence of all of them at once guarantee a jubilee. To the residents of Mobile Bay’s eastern and western shores, the jubilee remains as a mysterious — and most welcomed — gift from nature
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