Open ocean dead zones in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean

Karstensen, J.; Fiedler, B.; Schütte, F.; Brandt, P.; Körtzinger, A.; Fischer, G.; Zantopp, R.; Hahn, J.; Visbeck, M.; Wallace, D.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2597-2015

Articles | Volume 12, issue 8

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2597-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Special issue:

Low oxygen environments in marine, fresh and estuarine...

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2597-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 12, issue 8

Research article

|

30 Apr 2015

Research article |

| 30 Apr 2015

Open ocean dead zones in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean

J. Karstensen, B. Fiedler, F. Schütte, P. Brandt, A. Körtzinger, G. Fischer, R. Zantopp, J. Hahn, M. Visbeck, and D. Wallace

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Dec 2014	103	62	4	169
Jan 2015	39	22	0	61
Feb 2015	47	21	2	70
Mar 2015	24	15	2	41
Apr 2015	167	68	2	237
May 2015	3,282	1,351	54	4,687
Jun 2015	539	120	3	662
Jul 2015	212	90	6	308
Aug 2015	347	119	3	469
Sep 2015	109	47	3	159
Oct 2015	118	61	3	182
Nov 2015	98	47	2	147
Dec 2015	58	32	2	92
Jan 2016	73	43	1	117
Feb 2016	58	33	4	95
Mar 2016	66	31	3	100
Apr 2016	42	25	2	69
May 2016	54	28	5	87
Jun 2016	38	12	9	59
Jul 2016	35	15	3	53
Aug 2016	185	13	2	200
Sep 2016	48	20	0	68
Oct 2016	38	23	2	63
Nov 2016	22	4	0	26
Dec 2016	30	9	1	40
Jan 2017	65	17	3	85
Feb 2017	49	18	2	69
Mar 2017	71	36	7	114
Apr 2017	81	23	8	112
May 2017	70	19	7	96
Jun 2017	72	19	2	93
Jul 2017	54	14	7	75
Aug 2017	36	15	1	52
Sep 2017	41	18	1	60
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Nov 2017	58	25	1	84
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Jan 2018	70	15	1	86
Feb 2018	78	25	0	103
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Apr 2018	102	31	1	134
May 2018	62	24	3	89
Jun 2018	31	22	1	54
Jul 2018	28	13	1	42
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Sep 2018	27	17	0	44
Oct 2018	49	24	0	73
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Dec 2018	33	13	1	47
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May 2019	29	17	0	46
Jun 2019	23	11	2	36
Jul 2019	18	9	0	27
Aug 2019	19	11	0	30
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Oct 2019	26	19	1	46
Nov 2019	29	25	0	54
Dec 2019	21	14	1	36
Jan 2020	34	19	2	55
Feb 2020	22	20	0	42
Mar 2020	43	16	3	62
Apr 2020	65	13	0	78
May 2020	66	15	1	82
Jun 2020	59	20	3	82
Jul 2020	56	21	9	86
Aug 2020	55	16	7	78
Sep 2020	66	18	1	85
Oct 2020	49	24	2	75
Nov 2020	46	23	2	71
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Oct 2022	101	16	3	120
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Jan 2023	78	22	3	103
Feb 2023	96	22	2	120
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Apr 2023	87	21	8	116
May 2023	49	17	2	68
Jun 2023	63	13	3	79
Jul 2023	62	10	2	74
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Oct 2023	74	21	2	97
Nov 2023	40	8	0	48
Dec 2023	93	20	6	119
Jan 2024	52	35	1	88
Feb 2024	52	32	1	85
Mar 2024	60	32	2	94
Apr 2024	64	18	1	83
May 2024	65	33	5	103
Jun 2024	95	15	3	113
Jul 2024	75	32	4	111
Aug 2024	87	17	2	106
Sep 2024	37	19	3	59
Oct 2024	46	21	5	72
Nov 2024	53	23	1	77
Dec 2024	36	35	0	71
Jan 2025	59	33	3	95
Feb 2025	57	17	1	75
Mar 2025	38	26	1	65
Apr 2025	84	39	3	126
May 2025	68	14	0	82
Jun 2025	61	17	1	79
Jul 2025	60	37	3	100
Aug 2025	72	29	2	103
Sep 2025	59	24	3	86
Oct 2025	48	41	3	92
Nov 2025	12	13	0	25

Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 12 Dec 2014)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Dec 2014	103	62	4	169
Jan 2015	39	22	0	61
Feb 2015	47	21	2	70
Mar 2015	24	15	2	41
Apr 2015	167	68	2	237
May 2015	3,282	1,351	54	4,687
Jun 2015	539	120	3	662
Jul 2015	212	90	6	308
Aug 2015	347	119	3	469
Sep 2015	109	47	3	159
Oct 2015	118	61	3	182
Nov 2015	98	47	2	147
Dec 2015	58	32	2	92
Jan 2016	73	43	1	117
Feb 2016	58	33	4	95
Mar 2016	66	31	3	100
Apr 2016	42	25	2	69
May 2016	54	28	5	87
Jun 2016	38	12	9	59
Jul 2016	35	15	3	53
Aug 2016	185	13	2	200
Sep 2016	48	20	0	68
Oct 2016	38	23	2	63
Nov 2016	22	4	0	26
Dec 2016	30	9	1	40
Jan 2017	65	17	3	85
Feb 2017	49	18	2	69
Mar 2017	71	36	7	114
Apr 2017	81	23	8	112
May 2017	70	19	7	96
Jun 2017	72	19	2	93
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Nov 2017	58	25	1	84
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Jan 2018	70	15	1	86
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Apr 2022	53	23	6	82
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Jul 2022	60	17	3	80
Aug 2022	36	14	3	53
Sep 2022	65	22	3	90
Oct 2022	101	16	3	120
Nov 2022	86	23	1	110
Dec 2022	86	18	3	107
Jan 2023	78	22	3	103
Feb 2023	96	22	2	120
Mar 2023	86	31	2	119
Apr 2023	87	21	8	116
May 2023	49	17	2	68
Jun 2023	63	13	3	79
Jul 2023	62	10	2	74
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Oct 2023	74	21	2	97
Nov 2023	40	8	0	48
Dec 2023	93	20	6	119
Jan 2024	52	35	1	88
Feb 2024	52	32	1	85
Mar 2024	60	32	2	94
Apr 2024	64	18	1	83
May 2024	65	33	5	103
Jun 2024	95	15	3	113
Jul 2024	75	32	4	111
Aug 2024	87	17	2	106
Sep 2024	37	19	3	59
Oct 2024	46	21	5	72
Nov 2024	53	23	1	77
Dec 2024	36	35	0	71
Jan 2025	59	33	3	95
Feb 2025	57	17	1	75
Mar 2025	38	26	1	65
Apr 2025	84	39	3	126
May 2025	68	14	0	82
Jun 2025	61	17	1	79
Jul 2025	60	37	3	100
Aug 2025	72	29	2	103
Sep 2025	59	24	3	86
Oct 2025	48	41	3	92
Nov 2025	12	13	0	25

Latest update: 07 Nov 2025

Short summary

This study is the first report of the formation of dead zones in the open ocean. A combination of multiple ocean observing system elements (mooring, floats, satellites, ships) allowed us to reconstruct the generation of the dead zones and to connect the formation to enhanced respiration within mesoscale ocean eddies. The dead zones present specific threats to the ecosystem, such as the interruption of the diurnal migration of zooplankters.