The oxygen levels are, of course, important, but they are also an indicator of a cascading series of even more serious chemical reactions that are now happening
The lower oxygen level means that the REDOX oxidation potential is now lower, heavy metals are going into solution, organic concentrations are increasing, pH is decreasing and Zeta Potential is increasing. A higher zeta potential impacts on water tension and the ability of plankton to swim through the water; it impacts on the ability of nutrients to cross membranes and the survival of marine larvae and juvenile fish. 25% of the worlds oceans are now covered by HNLC dead zones and 80% of Southern Ocean
The Baltic Sea is effectively dead, as are most of the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Marmaris Sea. This impacts the productivity of phytoplankton that maintain the surface microlayer (SML), and this impacts the transfer of water and aerosols to the atmosphere. The SML is the primary regulator of humidity, cloud formation, rainfall and wind strength. Carbon dioxide does not impact climate….it’s water.
The climate is no longer influenced by the butterfly effect; it’s now more like the rhino impact, and the extremes are going to become more and more aggressive as the SML is destroyed.
We have already passed the ocean acidification tipping point and are heading for the endpoint in about 10 years.
Are there solutions? It’s certainly not carbon mitigation….
https://lnkd.in/eD7xj5xK
