badbobby Loc: texas

Massive 'Dead Zone' in the Arabian Sea Is the Biggest in the World
By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | May 5, 2018 09:57am ET
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Massive 'Dead Zone' in the Arabian Sea Is the Biggest in the World
Oxygen-gobbling phytoplankton filaments unfurl in the Arabian Sea, during a winter bloom in 2015.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory
A massive "dead zone" in the Arabian Sea is the largest in the world, a new study reveals.

Dead zones are oxygen-starved ocean regions where few organisms can survive. They emerge in ocean depths ranging from 650 to 2,600 feet (200 to 800 meters), when influxes of chemical nutrients — typically from human pollution — spur algae growth, which sucks up oxygen. A significant oxygen-deprived region has bloomed in the Gulf of Oman for decades, but it was last surveyed in the 1990s.

Recently, researchers returned to the Gulf of Oman and found that the dead zone has expanded far more than expected, raising serious concerns about the future of local fisheries and ecosystems, researchers reported in a new study. [Dead Zones: Devil in the Deep Blue Sea]

"The ocean is suffocating," study lead author Bastien Queste, a marine biogeochemist and research fellow with the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia in England, said in a statement. "All fish, marine plants and other animals need oxygen, so they can't survive there."

Inaccessible region
The Gulf of Oman, which spans 70,000 square miles (181,000 square kilometers), connects the Arabian Sea to the Persian Gulf. It has long been off-limits to researchers because of the region's political instability and the threat of ocean piracy.

But a duo of diving submarines, called Seagliders, recently allowed scientists to explore the dead zone remotely. The slow-moving autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are small and lightweight, and while they use very little power they are capable of traveling thousands of kilometers and reaching depths of about 3,300 feet (1,000 meters), according to the manufacturer's website.

Seagliders revealed oxygen-poor zones in the Gulf of Oman that were previously beyond researchers' reach.
Seagliders revealed oxygen-poor zones in the Gulf of Oman that were previously beyond researchers' reach.
Credit: University of East Anglia


For eight months, these AUVs gathered data on oxygen levels, then t***smitted their readings to the scientists via satellite. Researchers then used computer models to visualize the ocean currents that circulated oxygen around the gulf from the Arabian Sea. They found that the oxygen-poor region had grown dramatically, and the scant oxygen formerly held in the depleted zone — based on data from the 1990s — had drained significantly, leaving bigger areas with no oxygen at all.

The change was far bigger than existing computer models predicted, the study authors reported. Accelerated oxygen loss could partly be explained by c*****e c****e, as warmer ocean waters near the sea surface hamper the retention and circulation of oxygen, Queste said in the statement.

The Arabian Sea is home to many fish species, including several that are tolerant of low-oxygen conditions, according to the study. But the researchers' findings reveal that oxygen depletion in the Gulf of Oman is far worse than they imagined — and that isn't just an issue for sea creatures, Queste said.

"It's a real environmental problem, with dire consequences for humans, too, who rely on the oceans for food and employment," Queste said.

The findings were published online April 27 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Original article on Live Science.

vernon

So we need a value added tax to clear all these problems up.I just know that the politicians of the world will save us if we just give them more money.

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

They have a lot of trouble with low oxygen events in that area...has something to do with currents or some such.

On the bright side, a foot of sea level rise should bring in plenty of oxygen.

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

I believe that is the progressive solution.

badbobby Loc: texas

prolly wouldn't work anyhow

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

That depends on what they want it to do. Stopping c*****e c****e probably ain't it.

Mike Easterday

Proves my theory muslims are a waste of oxygen.

bahmer

Excellent badbobby but won't the algae that are sucking up all of that oxygen eventually die off do to lack of oxygen. if they are causing the lack of oxygen then they are commiting suicide.

badbobby Loc: texas

hey bahm
don't expect me to answer that
I just copied the article off live science

bahmer

Well you are the world renowned fishermen are you not?
If that is the case one should be able to draw the conclusion
that if the algae destroy all of the oxygen they will destroy themselves as well.

badbobby Loc: texas

is it okay if I jus take your word for it???

bahmer

Sure go ahead. You can even write a paper if you want.

teabag09

We've had good news here in the Chesapeake Bay. The grasses are at a huge increase over what was expected. The grasses are the life blood of the bay which is the largest estuary in the world. This is because of co-operation between the greenies, the localities(States and cities), homeowners and farmers working together without the feds stepping in. Oysters are making a come back. Crabs and fish are returning. Hopefully it'll get even better. Mike

teabag09

There are many microbes that live very well in a oxygen free environment that will deplete oxygen. I don't know if that's the case here. Mike