Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Are Declining Oxygen Levels in Global Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers Reaching Unsafe Levels?
A new peer-reviewed paper that examines "aquatic deoxygenation", namely declining dissolved oxygen levels in our global oceans, and freshwater bodies like lakes and rivers is extremely dire.
Essentially, the authors argue that "aquatic deoxygenation" is extremely serious and needs to be added to the 9 planetary boundaries as a tenth, and carefully monitored and assessed.
Feedbacks and interactions between "aquatic deoxygenation" and the existing 9 planetary boundaries are examined in detail.
In addition to discussing this new research paper, I also chat about the geological history of oxygen on Earth to put oxygen levels into context. At present, our atmosphere is 21% oxygen but there were periods in Earth history when it was zero, and also when it reached 35%.
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-paul-continue-his-climate-emergency-research
References and Links:
Peer-reviewed scientific paper in Journal LIMNOLOGY and OCEANOGRAPHY
Title:
Abundant interactions and feedbacks between aquatic deoxygenation and the other planetary boundaries suggest “unsafe” levels of oxygen loss with far-reaching impacts
Abstract
Oxygen is critical for nearly all life on Earth, including aquatic species that breathe dissolved oxygen in both freshwater and marine systems. The rapid, global, and anthropogenic loss of dissolved oxygen known as “aquatic deoxygenation” threatens life in these environments, the human communities that depend on them, and Earth system stability long-term. Recognizing the important and increasingly widespread effects of aquatic deoxygenation, scientists have proposed that it be added to the planetary boundary framework, which is designed to capture the wider envelope of Earth-system conditions that support a “safe operating space for humanity.” Here, we argue that the planetary boundary framework should include maintenance of Earth’s aquatic ecosystems and thus dissolved oxygen conditions. We synthesize important, in some cases poorly understood, interactions and feedbacks that exist between deoxygenation and all nine of the established planetary boundaries. We find that aquatic deoxygenation interacts with and extensively modulates other boundary processes, including climate change, nutrient loading, biodiversity loss, and aerosol loading. Subsequently, we identify and describe four indicators that can be used to assess the status of aquatic deoxygenation and eventually define a global boundary for it within the framework. Given these interactions and current rates of oxygen loss, we argue that aquatic deoxygenation is approaching an “unsafe space,” with Earth-system impacts that are likely to be irreversible in our lifetimes. We discuss the wider societal significance of this research, including applications to the framework, future analyses, policy-making, and management.
Link: aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/lno.70434
Age of Universe:
google.com/search?q=age+of+universe&oq=age+of+universe&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCTgxNzZqMGoxNagCCLACAfEFkgzgeqL4XZ4&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8
Age of Earth:
google.com/search?q=age+of+earth&oq=age+of+earth&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIMCAEQABhDGIAEGIoFMgwIAhAAGEMYgAQYigUyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEC4YgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyDAgHEAAYFBiHAhiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCTUxNjRqMWoxNagCCLACAfEFT4sJ6O6y3f3xBU-LCejust39&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8
Oxygen History on Earth:
google.com/search?q=oxygen+on+earth+plot+4.54+billion+years&oq=oxygen+on+earth+plot+4.54+billion+years&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRifBTIHCAQQIRifBTIHCAUQIRifBdIBCjIyMDE5ajFqMTWoAgiwAgHxBbQ7zWihwP1u&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8
Wikipedia: Geological History of Oxygen
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_history_of_oxygen
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-paul-continue-his-climate-emergency-research
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. As well as my website, and YouTube, you can find me on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit (multiple climate channels within), Quora, TikTok, Discord, Mastodon, Twitch, Vimeo, Bluesky, TruthSocial, Threads, Substack, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc...
Are Declining Oxygen Levels in Global Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers Reaching Unsafe Levels?
A new peer-reviewed paper that examines "aquatic deoxygenation", namely declining dissolved oxygen levels in our global oceans, and freshwater bodies like lakes and rivers is extremely dire.
Essentially, the authors argue that "aquatic deoxygenation" is extremely serious and needs to be added to the 9 planetary boundaries as a tenth, and carefully monitored and assessed.
Feedbacks and interactions between "aquatic deoxygenation" and the existing 9 planetary boundaries are examined in detail.
In addition to discussing this new research paper, I also chat about the geological history of oxygen on Earth to put oxygen levels into context. At present, our atmosphere is 21% oxygen but there were periods in Earth history when it was zero, and also when it reached 35%.
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-paul-continue-his-climate-emergency-research
References and Links:
Peer-reviewed scientific paper in Journal LIMNOLOGY and OCEANOGRAPHY
Title:
Abundant interactions and feedbacks between aquatic deoxygenation and the other planetary boundaries suggest “unsafe” levels of oxygen loss with far-reaching impacts
Abstract
Oxygen is critical for nearly all life on Earth, including aquatic species that breathe dissolved oxygen in both freshwater and marine systems. The rapid, global, and anthropogenic loss of dissolved oxygen known as “aquatic deoxygenation” threatens life in these environments, the human communities that depend on them, and Earth system stability long-term. Recognizing the important and increasingly widespread effects of aquatic deoxygenation, scientists have proposed that it be added to the planetary boundary framework, which is designed to capture the wider envelope of Earth-system conditions that support a “safe operating space for humanity.” Here, we argue that the planetary boundary framework should include maintenance of Earth’s aquatic ecosystems and thus dissolved oxygen conditions. We synthesize important, in some cases poorly understood, interactions and feedbacks that exist between deoxygenation and all nine of the established planetary boundaries. We find that aquatic deoxygenation interacts with and extensively modulates other boundary processes, including climate change, nutrient loading, biodiversity loss, and aerosol loading. Subsequently, we identify and describe four indicators that can be used to assess the status of aquatic deoxygenation and eventually define a global boundary for it within the framework. Given these interactions and current rates of oxygen loss, we argue that aquatic deoxygenation is approaching an “unsafe space,” with Earth-system impacts that are likely to be irreversible in our lifetimes. We discuss the wider societal significance of this research, including applications to the framework, future analyses, policy-making, and management.
Link: aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/lno.70434
Age of Universe:
google.com/search?q=age+of+universe&oq=age+of+universe&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCTgxNzZqMGoxNagCCLACAfEFkgzgeqL4XZ4&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8
Age of Earth:
google.com/search?q=age+of+earth&oq=age+of+earth&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIMCAEQABhDGIAEGIoFMgwIAhAAGEMYgAQYigUyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEC4YgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyDAgHEAAYFBiHAhiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCTUxNjRqMWoxNagCCLACAfEFT4sJ6O6y3f3xBU-LCejust39&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8
Oxygen History on Earth:
google.com/search?q=oxygen+on+earth+plot+4.54+billion+years&oq=oxygen+on+earth+plot+4.54+billion+years&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRifBTIHCAQQIRifBTIHCAUQIRifBdIBCjIyMDE5ajFqMTWoAgiwAgHxBbQ7zWihwP1u&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8
Wikipedia: Geological History of Oxygen
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_history_of_oxygen
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-paul-continue-his-climate-emergency-research
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. As well as my website, and YouTube, you can find me on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit (multiple climate channels within), Quora, TikTok, Discord, Mastodon, Twitch, Vimeo, Bluesky, TruthSocial, Threads, Substack, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc...
