Events to raise awareness of ocean deoxgenation held in Xiamen
A series of activities on ocean deoxygenation were recently held in Xiamen, East China’s Fujian province.
These activities, including outreach display and lectures, were designed to raise awareness of the issues and risks of deoxgenation across the ocean.
Oxygen poor areas in the open ocean and coastal areas, are mainly the result of human activities that are increasing global temperatures (CO2-induced warming) and increasing loads of nutrients from agriculture, sewage, and industrial waste, including pollution stemming from power generation using fossil fuels and biomass.
The increase of water bodies with very little or no oxygen, so called dead zones, have a direct impact on the health of aquatic life and coastal communities that rely on the ocean for food and income.
At the Houtian School of Xiamen, Dr. Yangyang Zhao, assistant research scientist at the State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science (MEL), gave a lecture to the students, explaining the causes and impacts of ocean deoxygenation and proposing his countermeasures.
Supported by the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Ocean Development, these events were luanched by the MEL, 70.8 Media Lab and the Xiamen Marine International Cooperation Center.