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Thresholds of hypoxia for marine biodiversity
Vaquer-Sunyer, R.; Duarte, C.M. (2008). Thresholds of hypoxia for marine biodiversity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105(40): 15452-15457. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0803833105
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The Academy: Washington, D.C.. ISSN 0027-8424; e-ISSN 1091-6490, more
Peer reviewed article  

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Keyword
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    benthic community; oxygen; coastal ecosystems; eutrophication; impacts

Authors  Top 
  • Vaquer-Sunyer, R.
  • Duarte, C.M., more

Abstract
    Hypoxia is a mounting problem affecting the world's coastal waters, with severe consequences for marine life, including death and catastrophic changes. Hypoxia is forecast to increase owing to the combined effects of the continued spread of coastal eutrophication and global warming. A broad comparative analysis across a range of contrasting marine benthic organisms showed that hypoxia thresholds vary greatly across marine benthic organisms and that the conventional definition of 2 mg O2/liter to designate waters as hypoxic is below the empirical sublethal and lethal O2 thresholds for half of the species tested. These results imply that the number and area of coastal ecosystems affected by hypoxia and the future extent of hypoxia impacts on marine life have been generally underestimated.

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