Along the French coast facing the Bay of Biscay, the large Gironde and Loire estuaries suffer from hypoxia. This prompted a study of the small Charente estuary located between them. This work reveals a minimum oxygen zone in the Charente estuary, which extends for about 25 km. Temperature is the main factor controlling the hypoxia. This calls for the monitoring of small turbid macrotidal estuaries that are vulnerable to hypoxia, a risk expected to increase with global warming.