What If the Oceans Lose Oxygen

What If: Science, Theory, and Possibilities · Aug 6, 2025 · 7m

Scientists predict that the oceans' oxygen levels could drop 3 to 4% by the year 2100. As that happens, oceans will undergo drastic losses of biodiversity, and entire ecosystems could be wiped out. Why is oxygen disappearing? Why are oceans losing oxygen? How could this affect us? Is there anything we can do to stop this?

Oceans losing 3-4% of their oxygen may not sound very threatening, but it's a big deal. These massive bodies of water cover most of Earth. We know that about 200 million years ago, oxygen was depleted in the oceans. This led to a massive extinction of species. With oxygen…