Global warming projection of the change in dissolved oxygen concentrations in low oxygen regions of the oceans
Author
Matear,Richard
Abstract
Global warming projections using a range of climate models included in the IPCC 4th assessment report (AR4) suggest the oceans will warm, the stratification of the upper ocean will increase and the ventilation of the ocean interior will change. These physical changes will impact dissolved oxygen levels in the ocean. Using a global warming projection from the CSIRO (Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Administration) climate model linked to a simple ocean biogeochemical model I investigated how dissolved oxygen levels in the ocean interior change under global warming. The climate simulations project the low oxygen regions like the eastern equatorial Pacific will expand. By the end of the century it is projected that the volume of hypoxic water (<10 mmol/kg) in the thermocline of the eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean will double.