A recent study highlights a troubling trend: the oxygen levels dissolved in the world's water bodies are rapidly decreasing, posing a severe threat to Earth's life support system.
Scientists from the United States have attributed this decline to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. Warmer water temperatures reduce the amount of oxygen that can be dissolved, which is critical for aquatic life, just as atmospheric oxygen is essential for humans and animals.
The research team is proposing that aquatic deoxygenation be recognized as a "planetary boundary"—a critical threshold necessary for sustainable human development and environmental well-being. At present, there are nine recognized planetary boundaries, which include climate change, ocean acidification, and biodiversity loss.
The study asserts that the deoxygenation of freshwater and marine ecosystems should be recognized as an additional critical planetary boundary. This process not only impacts Earth's ecological systems but also interacts with other boundary processes.
Other factors contributing to the accelerated loss of aquatic oxygen include increased algae and bacteria growth, driven by the influx of organic matter and nutrients from fertilizers, sewage, and industrial waste. The study warns that if oxygen levels continue to plummet, even microbes that do not rely on oxygen could face extinction.
The findings were published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
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