The water covering most of our planet is slowly losing something essential to life: oxygen. Scientists are raising the alarm about declining oxygen levels in lakes, rivers, and oceans around the world.
According to a new study led by researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, the aquatic deoxygenation trend is accelerating, driven by human-caused warming, nutrient pollution, and changes in the circulation of deeper ocean waters.
The study, which was recently published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography, warns that these trends are pushing Earth toward an "unsafe space," with consequences that could be irreversible on human timescales.
Dissolved oxygen is essential for aquatic life. Fish, shellfish, and countless other organisms depend on it to survive. When oxygen levels drop, the effects can ripple through the food web, ultimately impacting entire aquatic ecosystems.
Because of these far-reaching impacts, the research team argues that aquatic deoxygenation should be recognized as a new planetary boundary. First introduced in 2009, the Planetary Boundaries framework identified nine major Earth system processes that help maintain a stable and resilient planet, including such things as climate change, biosphere integrity, ocean acidification, atmospheric aerosol loading, and land-system change.
According to the researchers, protecting the oxygen in our waters is essential for preserving biodiversity, supporting healthy ecosystems, and maintaining a stable climate for future generations.
**********
References:
Underwater Oxygen Loss Threatens Earth’s Stability, Researchers Warn
