Ocean Oxygen Loss Narrative - "The warmer the water, the less gas it can take up.

 

Global Ocean Oxygen Loss - High Confidence

Between 1970 to 2010, the open ocean lost oxygen (surface to 3,000 feet deep), about 0.5−3.3%. Scientists meaured from the ocean surface to 3,000 feet deep, and they have medium confidence in their findings. "

The oceans are losing oxygen. Numerous studies at local, regional and global level confirm this trend. "Further drivers of ocean deoxygenation identified"

What is Ocean Deoxygenation?

Ocean deoxygenation refers to the loss of oxygen from the oceans due to climate change (Keeling et al. 2010). Long-term ocean monitoring shows that oxygen concentrations in the ocean have declined during the 20th century, and the new IPCC 5th Assessment Report (AR5 WG1) predicts that they will decrease by 3-6% during the 21st century in response to surface warming. While 3-6% doesn’t seem like much, this decrease will be felt acutely in hypoxic and suboxic areas, where oxygen is already limiting. “Hypoxic” areas are defined as regions where oxygen limitation is detrimental to most organisms." See Ocean Oxygen Loss for more, and growing information on ocean deoxygenation.

With high confidence for the global ocean, warming increases caused oxygen loss from reinforcing physics and biogeochemistry. Research in the tropics show ocean blobs or dead zones grow at about 3 to 8% by decade. Human activity causes ocean oxygen loss. (ocean minimum zones - OMZs)