Marine Life In The Pacific Ocean Will Get Suffocated Starting 2030 Due To Climate Change

Oxygen loss driven by climate change, which is already noticeable in certain areas of the Pacific Ocean, will be a widespread phenomenon by2030 or 2040 according to a new research by oceanographer Matthew Long. Oxygen is vital for most of the fish to survive; it is either released by phytoplankton through photosynthesis or enters the water from the atmosphere. However, the ocean absorbs less oxygen when its surface warms up which consequently puts fish and other marine creatures at risk.

According to a report in The Huffington Post, it is a point of concern and worry that climate change is beginning to affect the ocean by robbing it off oxygen. Oxygen deprived oceans have an adverse effect on marine ecosystems, making it uninhabitable for species like crabs and fish because unlike whales or dolphins they can't breathe in oxygen from the surface. In addition, oxygen has a difficult time circulating in deeper waters when the temperature is warm.

Matthew Long and his team of researchers predicted ocean deoxygenation through 2100 with the help of simulations. "Since oxygen concentrations in the ocean naturally vary depending on variations in winds and temperature at the surface, it's been challenging to attribute any deoxygenation to climate change," Matthew Long said. "This new study tells us when we can expect the impact from climate change to overwhelm the natural variability."

Climate change induced deoxgenation has already been detected in some parts of the ocean. According to the new research published in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles, it might become more widespread between 2030 and 2040. Furthermore, deoxygenation will be detectable in large areas of the Pacific Ocean, including areas off the west coast of the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. As per the study, the consequent suffocation caused by deoxygenation will impact the ability of the ocean ecosystems to sustain healthy fisheries. Moreover, the report says, the seas near the coasts of Southeast Asia, Australia and Africa will also succumb to deoxygenation after 2100.