Missing Oxygen and Acidifying

Seas: The Science of a Changing

Ocean
Francis Chan

Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University

SLR
In Oregon, fishermen asked why are
they were pulling up dead crabs
 We had a low oxygen problem!
Depth (m)

Grantham et al. 2004 Nature

Right in our backyard!

Grantham et al. 2004 Nature

…but why was it so low?

Elakha waves
…but why was it so low?
What I thought:

1. Once in a lifetime event: “The Perfect Calm”

2. A local “backyard ecosystem” problem

But in 2006…
 Not a one-time event…

2
1.8
1.6
1.4
Minimum dissolved oxygen values
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

inside of circle is hypoxia

1.4 ml l-1 hypoxia cut-off

Can ocean chemistry actually be changing?
Dissolved oxygen (ml l-1)

1950 to 1999
Depth (m)

canonical
hypoxia
threshold

Chan et al. Science 2008

 Can ocean chemistry actually be changing?
Dissolved oxygen (ml l-1)
Inner/Mid-Shelf

1950 to 1999
2000 to 2005
Depth (m)
Oxygen Minimum Zone
(OMZ)

Chan et al. Science 2008

 Can ocean chemistry actually be changing?
Dissolved oxygen (ml l-1)
Inner/Mid-Shelf

1950 to 1999
2000 to 2005
2006
Depth (m)
Oxygen Minimum Zone
(OMZ)

Chan et al. Science 2008

How can ocean oxygen change?

• Upwelling video

Low O2 & High

Nutrients, High
CO2 Water

Modified from Gewin (2011)

Upwelling happens!

Cold upwelled water

Not so local

Photo: K. Retherford Keller et al. Fisheries

Oceanography 2015
Really not so local!
Enter the era of global ocean de-oxygenation

Projected loss of dissolved

oxygen in coming decades

Long et al. 2016 Global Biogeochemical Cycles

 Scientific American 2006

“Biggest problem that no one has heard of”

The ocean has absorbed ~¼ of our carbon emissions

8th graders
“380 ppm kids”
 CO2

pCO2 pH Ω
 We are at ground zero for OA

Photo: K. Ordell

Bigger changes are yet to come…

Why are we talking about OA and hypoxia?
(can’t we just do one thing at a time?)
DO (mmol kg-1)
hypoxia
 dissolve

DO (mmol kg-1)
pCO2 ( atm)

suffocate
 dissolve

It’s an OAH world!

DO (µmol kg-1)
pCO2 (μatm)
suffocate
pCO2 ( atm)

Depth (m)
DO (mmol kg-1)
Ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH) is
something that we wait to happen to us
vs.

something that we can and should get out

in front of?
Can we get ahead of the curve on ocean changes?
(can we actually translate new ocean science into
new ocean policies?)
 What can we do differently with more science?
“high • Smarter detection and
information monitoring- know
diet” where we are heading

• Know where we can

Solutions

manage local stressors

“low
• Get real with
information
diet”
adaptation
management in the sea

time
…and don’t we have enough measurements?
…and don’t we have enough measurements?
 …and don’t we have enough measurements?
Let’s zero in and remove the ship observations (too
infrequent and offshore-focused )
 …and don’t we have enough measurements?
Let’s remove stations that are no longer active or
outside of state waters
 …and don’t we have enough measurements?
We’re left with a sea monster problem…
1. How can we fix the “sea monster”
problem?
2. Has anything changed?
Citizen scientists stepping up: identifying hot spots
and refuges from OA in marine reserves

pH
Building a smarter, tougher, cheaper dissolved oxygen
sensor for the crab fleet

photo: J. Childress
Exploring the role of green infrastructure to locally
mitigate OAH
SB-1363 Ocean Protection Council: Ocean
Acidification and Hypoxia Reduction Program

AB-2139 Ocean Protection Council: ocean

acidification and hypoxia
What about resilience?
Thank you
CO2 uptake has measurably changed ocean chemistry
CO2
pCO2

modified from Feely et al. 2008

pH

The ocean is acidifying at the fastest rate in 300

million years
Marine life are being impacted today

Bigger changes are yet to come

 West coast is ground zero for OA

really bad

bad

good
Feely et al. 2016. Estuarine Coast and Shelf Science
 A few years ago: Today:

photo: G. W. Arias

A problem for oyster lovers

A threat to ecosystems,
fisheries, communities,
economies