The causes and effects of hypoxia have been confounding marine scientists since the 1970s, when so-called “dead zones” first started appearing in oceans and large lakes. Currently there are more than 400 dead zones worldwide.

How did this happen, and how can it be fixed?

As Nathan Gilles, Oregon Sea Grant’s 2011 Science Communication Fellow, spent time with Sea Grant-funded researchers Francis Chan, Lorenzo Ciannelli, and Stephen Brandt, he uncovered a rich and complex story. That story is revealed in Oregon Sea Grant’s new publication, Hypoxia:How Is It Affecting Ocean Life, and Why?

The publication is available for purchase, and as a free download.

More on hypoxia from Oregon Sea Grant:

• Video: What is acidification? How does it affect marine animals and ecosystems? In three short videos, Dr. Richard Feely of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab discusses recent findings about ocean acidification and what it means for the future.
• Related Sea Grant research:
  • Understanding, Forecasting and Communicating the Linkages Between Hypoxia and Ocean Acidification in Oregon’s Coastal Ocean
  • Developing Realistic Metrics of Acidification Stress for Commercially Important Bivalves in Variable Habitats