Ocean deoxygenation is a term that has been suggested to describe the expansion of oxygen minimum zone

Oxygen minimum zone

The Oxygen minimum zone , sometimes referred to as the shadow zone, is the zone in which oxygen saturation in seawater in the ocean is at its lowest. This zone occurs at depths of about 200 to 1,000 metres, depending on local circumstances....

s in the world's oceans as a consequence of anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...

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Oceanographers and others have discussed what phrase best describes the phenomenon to non-specialists. Among the options considered have been 'ocean suffocation' (which was used in a news report from May 2008 ), 'ocean oxygen deprivation' , 'decline in ocean oxygen', 'marine deoxygenation', 'ocean oxygen depletion' and 'ocean hypoxia

Hypoxia (environmental)

Hypoxia, or oxygen depletion, is a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments as dissolved oxygen becomes reduced in concentration to a point where it becomes detrimental to aquatic organisms living in the system...

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