Rising temperatures from climate change depleting oxygen in coastal waters, threatening marine life

Climate change has warmed waters off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and northern California each summer, and reduced oxygen levels over a much larger area of the Pacific Ocean than was previously known, a new study found.

This depletion could harm shellfish in the region, such as Dungeness crabs, and lead to the migration or mass die offs of groundfish such as sole and lingcod. Both are critical sources of revenue for the region’s multi-million dollar seafood industry.

The findings, published recently in the journal Nature, showed more broadly what was known piecemeal from other studies during the last 70 years, according to Jack Barth, lead researcher and an Oregon State University professor of marine studies.

“It’s bringing into focus this very blurry picture we had, and now we can actually point to areas off the coast that are more susceptible and less susceptible to ocean warming and hypoxia,” he said.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/03/26/rising-temperatures-from-climate-change-depleting-oxygen-in-coastal-waters-threatening-marine-life/