Underwater Oxygen Loss Threatens Earth’s Stability, Researchers Warn | Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Skip to main content

&times;<br>Error message

Warning: Undefined array key "body" in sio_admin_fixes_entity_view_alter() (line 235 of modules/custom/sio-admin-fixes/sio_admin_fixes.module).sio_admin_fixes_entity_view_alter() (Line: 552)<br>Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandler->alter() (Line: 305)<br>Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityViewBuilder->buildMultiple() (Line: 239)<br>Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityViewBuilder->build()<br>call_user_func_array() (Line: 113)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doTrustedCallback() (Line: 886)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doCallback() (Line: 431)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doRender() (Line: 248)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->render() (Line: 390)<br>Drupal\media\Plugin\Filter\MediaEmbed->Drupal\media\Plugin\Filter\{closure}() (Line: 637)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->executeInRenderContext() (Line: 389)<br>Drupal\media\Plugin\Filter\MediaEmbed->renderIntoDomNode() (Line: 342)<br>Drupal\media\Plugin\Filter\MediaEmbed->process() (Line: 123)<br>Drupal\filter\Element\ProcessedText::preRenderText()<br>call_user_func_array() (Line: 113)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doTrustedCallback() (Line: 886)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doCallback() (Line: 431)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->doRender() (Line: 248)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->render() (Line: 165)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->Drupal\Core\Render\{closure}() (Line: 637)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->executeInRenderContext() (Line: 164)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->renderInIsolation() (Line: 62)<br>Drupal\text\TextProcessed->getValue() (Line: 154)<br>Drupal\Core\Field\FieldItemBase->__get() (Line: 143)<br>node_tokens()<br>call_user_func_array() (Line: 416)<br>Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandler->Drupal\Core\Extension\{closure}() (Line: 395)<br>Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandler->invokeAllWith() (Line: 415)<br>Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandler->invokeAll() (Line: 368)<br>Drupal\Core\Utility\Token->generate() (Line: 245)<br>Drupal\Core\Utility\Token->doReplace() (Line: 195)<br>Drupal\Core\Utility\Token->replace() (Line: 66)<br>Drupal\metatag\MetatagToken->replace() (Line: 791)<br>Drupal\metatag\MetatagManager->processTagValue() (Line: 634)<br>Drupal\metatag\MetatagManager->generateRawElements() (Line: 573)<br>Drupal\metatag\MetatagManager->generateElements() (Line: 510)<br>metatag_get_tags_from_route() (Line: 137)<br>metatag_page_attachments() (Line: 311)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\MainContent\HtmlRenderer->Drupal\Core\Render\MainContent\{closure}() (Line: 395)<br>Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandler->invokeAllWith() (Line: 308)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\MainContent\HtmlRenderer->invokePageAttachmentHooks() (Line: 285)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\MainContent\HtmlRenderer->Drupal\Core\Render\MainContent\{closure}() (Line: 637)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\Renderer->executeInRenderContext() (Line: 284)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\MainContent\HtmlRenderer->prepare() (Line: 128)<br>Drupal\Core\Render\MainContent\HtmlRenderer->renderResponse() (Line: 90)<br>Drupal\Core\EventSubscriber\MainContentViewSubscriber->onViewRenderArray()<br>call_user_func() (Line: 111)<br>Drupal\Component\EventDispatcher\ContainerAwareEventDispatcher->dispatch() (Line: 186)<br>Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\HttpKernel->handleRaw() (Line: 76)<br>Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\HttpKernel->handle() (Line: 53)<br>Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware\Session->handle() (Line: 48)<br>Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware\KernelPreHandle->handle() (Line: 28)<br>Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware\ContentLength->handle() (Line: 32)<br>Drupal\big_pipe\StackMiddleware\ContentLength->handle() (Line: 201)<br>Drupal\page_cache\StackMiddleware\PageCache->fetch() (Line: 138)<br>Drupal\page_cache\StackMiddleware\PageCache->lookup() (Line: 87)<br>Drupal\page_cache\StackMiddleware\PageCache->handle() (Line: 48)<br>Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware\ReverseProxyMiddleware->handle() (Line: 51)<br>Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware\NegotiationMiddleware->handle() (Line: 36)<br>Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware\AjaxPageState->handle() (Line: 51)<br>Drupal\Core\StackMiddleware\StackedHttpKernel->handle() (Line: 741)<br>Drupal\Core\DrupalKernel->handle() (Line: 19)

Oxygen bubbles beneath the ocean's surface. Credit: iStock/PlanctonVideo

Jul 16, 2026

Underwater Oxygen Loss Threatens Earth’s Stability, Researchers Warn

Scripps-led review calls for aquatic deoxygenation to be recognized as a critical planetary process under threat

Author

Brittany Hook

Topics

Climate Change

Marine Life

Oceanography

Share

A new review paper led by scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography warns that the rapid loss of oxygen from the ocean and other aquatic ecosystems is pushing Earth toward an “unsafe space,” with consequences that could be irreversible on human timescales.<br>The study reviews the widespread interactions between aquatic deoxygenation — the decline of dissolved oxygen in the ocean (ocean deoxygenation), coastal waters, rivers, lakes and streams — and the nine processes outlined by the Planetary Boundaries framework. First introduced in 2009, the framework identifies critical Earth system...