ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Environment → Climate

Climate change is depleting oxygen from the oceans

Scientists have also quantified the effects of climate change as they relate to oxygen depletion. Their analysis suggests that by 2030 oxygen dissolved due to climate change will overpower the natural variability in the ocean, putting further stress on marine life.

Tibi PuiubyTibi Puiu
April 28, 2016
in Climate, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

Climate change is posing a trident of threats for marine life: acidification (lowering pH), rising temperatures and decreased oxygen levels. Concerning oxygen depletion, this happens naturally mostly around coasts and shallow waters. Now, scientists have also quantified the effects of climate change as they relate to oxygen depletion. Their analysis suggests that by 2030 oxygen dissolved due to climate change will overpower the natural variability in the ocean, putting further stress on marine life.

Credit: The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe
Credit: The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe

Though most marine species can’t breathe air, they unanimously rely on oxygen to survive. Without oxygen, metabolic processes can’t access nutrients nor can they cycle waste.

Oxygen gets into the water when Oxygen from the atmosphere dissolves and mixes into the water’s surface. Oxygen levels are falling throughout the world’s oceans due to rising temperatures at the oceans’ surface and winds, and the decline is expected to have the greatest impact on biodiversity in the eastern Pacific Ocean, say researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

Using a model called Community Earth System Model, the NCAR researchers ran dozens of times minuscule variations in air temperature from 1920 to 2100. These tiny differences grew and expanded with each run.

Deoxgenation due to climate change is already detectable in some parts of the ocean. New research from NCAR finds that it will likely become widespread between 2030 and 2040. Credit: Matthew Long, NCAR.
Deoxygenation due to climate change is already detectable in some parts of the ocean. New research from NCAR finds that it will likely become widespread between 2030 and 2040. Credit: Matthew Long, NCAR.

These models gave researchers an idea of how much the oxygen concentration varied naturally in the past, but also helped predict how deoxygenation in the ocean will vary due to climate change. Already, deoxygenation mainly caused by climate change can be seen in the southern Indian Ocean, as well as in some parts of the Pacific and Atlantic basins.

By 2030 to 2040, widespread detection of deoxygenation across the world’s oceans should be detected. In some parts of the east coasts of Africa, Australia, and Southeast Asia, deoxygenation caused by climate change was not evident even by 2100.

Without oxygen, life is slow or threatened with death. Fishermen often find dead marine life like squids or crabs around pockets of waters void of oxygen. This will only happen more often in the coming decades and at a greater scale.

RelatedPosts

Extremely cold climate may have sealed Neanderthals’ extinction
Some 1,700 US cities under threat of going under-water by 2100
Ethiopia “breaks” tree-planting record: 350 million trees in a day
How many species are on Earth? Untangling a difficult question

Findings appeared in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

Tags: climate changeglobal warming

ShareTweetShare
Tibi Puiu

Tibi Puiu

Tibi is a science journalist and co-founder of ZME Science. He writes mainly about emerging tech, physics, climate, and space. In his spare time, Tibi likes to make weird music on his computer and groom felines. He has a B.Sc in mechanical engineering and an M.Sc in renewable energy systems.

Related Posts

Climate

Climate Change Unleashed a Hidden Wave That Triggered a Planetary Tremor

byMihai Andrei
2 weeks ago
Champiñón Hongos Naturaleza Setas Reino Fungi
Animal facts

What do Fungi, Chameleons, and Humans All Have in Common? We’re all Heterotrophs

byShiella Olimpos
1 month ago
Climate

Climate Change Is Rewriting America’s Gardening Map and Some Plants Can’t Keep Up

byGrace van Deelen
1 month ago
Climate

Scientists Create “Bait” to Lure Baby Corals Back to Dying Reefs

byMihai Andrei
2 months ago

Recent news

Your gut has a secret weapon against ‘forever chemicals’: microbes

July 3, 2025

High IQ People Are Strikingly Better at Forecasting the Future

July 3, 2025

Newborns Feel Pain Long Before They Can Understand It

July 3, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.