Articles | Volume 23, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2205-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2205-2026
Research article
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07 Apr 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 07 Apr 2026

Emerging Climate Signals in Tropical Oxygen Minimum Zones

Mathieu Delteil, Marina Lévy, and Laurent Bopp

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Cited articles

Aumont, O., Ethé, C., Tagliabue, A., Bopp, L., and Gehlen, M.: PISCES-v2: an ocean biogeochemical model for carbon and ecosystem studies, Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 2465–2513, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-2465-2015, 2015. a, b
Bahl, A., Gnanadesikan, A., and Pradal, M.-A.: Variations in Ocean Deoxygenation Across Earth System Models: Isolating the Role of Parameterized Lateral Mixing, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 33, 703–724, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GB006121, 2019. a, b
Bertrand, A., Chaigneau, A., Peraltilla, S., Ledesma, J., Graco, M., Monetti, F., and Chavez, F. P.: Oxygen: A Fundamental Property Regulating Pelagic Ecosystem Structure in the Coastal Southeastern Tropical Pacific, PLoS ONE, 6, e29558, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029558, 2011. a, b
Bianchi, D., Dunne, J. P., Sarmiento, J. L., and Galbraith, E. D.: Data-based estimates of suboxia, denitrification, and N2O production in the ocean and their sensitivities to dissolved O2, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 26, 2011GB004209, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GB004209, 2012. a
Bianchi, D., Weber, T. S., Kiko, R., and Deutsch, C.: Global niche of marine anaerobic metabolisms expanded by particle microenvironments, Nat. Geosci., 11, 263–268, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0081-0, 2018. a
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Editorial statement
Anthropogenic climate change is causing ocean deoxygenation, with tropical Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs) expanding at their edges since the mid-to-late 20th century, reducing habitable space for marine life despite significant internal variability. This study finds that the response is regionally asymmetric, with OMZ cores expanding in northern tropical oceans but contracting in the south due to increased ventilation, and highlights the complex and uncertain emergence patterns of climate-driven deoxygenation.
Short summary
The ocean is losing oxygen due to climate change, threatening ecosystems, especially in naturally low-oxygen areas called Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs). Using the IPSL-CM6A-LR Large Ensemble, this study identifies when climate-driven changes in OMZ volumes and regional deoxygenation emerge from natural variability. We highlight hemispheric asymmetries due to ocean ventilation and provide model-based estimates for the timing of detectable OMZ evolution.
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