| Session Details | |
| Section | BG - Biogeosciences OS - Ocean Sciences |
| Session Title | Ocean Deoxygenation in the Asia-pacific Region |
| Main Convener | Dr. S. W. A. Naqvi (Council of Scientific , India) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Gil Jacinto (The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Philippines) Dr. Moriaki Yasuhara (The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR) Prof. Jing Zhang (East China Normal University, China) |
| Session Description | Oxygen, the second most abundant element in the Earth's atmosphere, is essential for the survival of many forms of life, and plays a key role in geochemical cycles. Physical processes generally ensure adequate supply of oxygen to all depths of the ocean preventing its complete depletion in seawater except in a few well-defined areas, called the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). However, the oxygen content of the ocean has been declining with the consequent expansion and intensification of the OMZs over the past few decades, presumably due to decreased oxygen supply to subsurface ocean. In addition, human activities - mostly eutrophication caused by increased nutrients supply from land - have led to the development of hundreds of oxygen-deficient sites (dead zones) in shallow coastal areas all over the world. Ocean deoxygenation is predicted to greatly affect biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem functioning, impact biodiversity and living resources, and provide feedback to climate change. Coastal waters of the Asia-Pacific region are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon because of the high population density and rapid industrialization of the landmasses. The proposed session is intended to evaluate and discuss multi-disciplinary issues related to ocean deoxygenation with an objective to generate awareness and promote further research in this region. |