Emergence of Anoxia in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem
Abstract
Eastern boundary current systems are among the world's most productive large marine ecosystems. Because upwelling currents transport nutrient-rich but oxygen-depleted water onto shallow seas, large expanses of productive continental shelves can be vulnerable to the risk of extreme low-oxygen events. Here, we report the novel rise of water-column shelf anoxia in the northern California Current system, a large marine ecosystem with no previous record of such extreme oxygen deficits. The expansion of anoxia highlights the potential for rapid and discontinuous ecosystem change in productive coastal systems that sustain a major portion of the world's fisheries.
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Increasing occurrences of hypoxia are expected due to enhanced coastal productivity and subsequent increases in respiration, combined with generally lower levels of dissolved oxygen at depth on the inner continental shelf.
“Increasing occurrences of hypoxia are expected due to enhanced coastal productivity and subsequent increases in respiration, combined with generally lower levels of dissolved oxygen at depth on the inner continental shelf [61,62].”
From Anticipated Effects of Climate Change on Coastal Upwelling Ecosystems (2015) · cites this paper as [62]
The main text (p. 1) reports recent increases in shelf hypoxia and says productivity-driven coastal respiration can contribute to its onset. It also says upwelling brings oxygen-poor water onto shelves. It does not explicitly predict further increases in hypoxia or establish generally lower dissolved oxygen at depth on the inner shelf. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the northern California Current, hydrographic observations have revealed a recent increase in the frequency and severity of hypoxic events, and even occasional water column anoxia, on the inner continental shelf.
“In the northern California Current, hydrographic observations have revealed a recent increase in the frequency and severity of hypoxic events, and even occasional water column anoxia, on the inner continental shelf [61,62].”
From Anticipated Effects of Climate Change on Coastal Upwelling Ecosystems (2015) · cites this paper as [62]
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- Authors
- Chan, F., Barth, J. A., Lubchenco, J., Kirincich, A., Weeks, H., Peterson, W. T., & Menge, B. A.
- Affiliations
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US)
- Corresponding author
- Chan, F.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2008-02-15
- Volume
- 319
- Issue
- 5865
- Pages
- 920-920
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1976259602
- Cited by
- 593
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 50 · 2012: 38
- FWCI
- 34.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Keywords
- anoxia, California Current, eastern boundary currents, upwelling, low oxygen events, continental shelf, ecosystem change, fisheries
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Bacteria, Fishes, Invertebrates, Oxygen, Pacific Ocean, Population Dynamics, Seasons, Seawater, Water Movements, Ecosystem
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