Final Fantasy X is a game so focused on and filled with death that the moments when Tidus, Yuna, and the rest of the guardians do get to witness the life and beauty of Spira really stand out. One of those moments, punctuated with Square Enix’s famous cut-scenes, is when the party first reaches “the Moonflow,” a continent-dissecting river whose banks shimmer with the glow of luminous “pyreflies.”

Back in the real-world, we get a moonflow whenever moon jellies (yep, scientists changed “jellyfish” to “jellies”) gather.

These photos, taken by Washington resident Morgan Bubel, show a so-called “bloom” of moon jellies. Jelly blooms are massive influxes of the creatures, like a swarm, that are dependent on factors such as water temperature and available resources (like oxygen in the water).

Bubel sent in these photos to Jellywatch, a website set up by JEDI –Jellyfish Database Initiative — to track jelly blooms with the help of public submissions. It’s not just jelly-spotting; as climate change ramps up, oceans warm and marine environments shift, jelly blooms are starting to cause serious problems.

This moonflow off the coast of Washington is harmless for now, but jelly blooms need constant monitoring. I mean, we thought Tidus’ laugh would be harmless and look what happened.

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HT: Earth Touch

IMAGES: Square Enix; Morgan Bubel