Up to now most of the research has focused on colder waters, where much of the world's commercial fishing occurs, at the same time very little is known about the issue in the tropics.
According results of a new study carried out by an international team, the low-oxygen zones where sea life is threatened or cannot survive are growing as the oceans are heated by global warming. Warmer water simply cannot absorb as much oxygen as colder water and the sea life becomes stressed when the dissolved oxygen reaches between 60 and 120 micromols per kilogram.
Ocean circulation may also play a role in the oxygen reduction by transporting oxygen away. The vertical expansion of low O2 zones can also affect seriously the sea life.
More information at:
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/501/1 |
