Scientists Build New Atlas of Ocean's Oxygen-starved Waters (mit.edu) 10
The 3D maps may help researchers track and predict the ocean's response to climate change. From a report: Life is teeming nearly everywhere in the oceans, except in certain pockets where oxygen naturally plummets and waters become unlivable for most aerobic organisms. These desolate pools are "oxygen-deficient zones," or ODZs. And though they make up less than 1 percent of the ocean's total volume, they are a significant source of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Their boundaries can also limit the extent of fisheries and marine ecosystems. Now MIT scientists have generated the most detailed, three-dimensional "atlas" of the largest ODZs in the world. The new atlas provides high-resolution maps of the two major, oxygen-starved bodies of water in the tropical Pacific. These maps reveal the volume, extent, and varying depths of each ODZ, along with fine-scale features, such as ribbons of oxygenated water that intrude into otherwise depleted zones.
The team used a new method to process over 40 years' worth of ocean data, comprising nearly 15 million measurements taken by many research cruises and autonomous robots deployed across the tropical Pacific. The researchers compiled then analyzed this vast and fine-grained data to generate maps of oxygen-deficient zones at various depths, similar to the many slices of a three-dimensional scan. From these maps, the researchers estimated the total volume of the two major ODZs in the tropical Pacific, more precisely than previous efforts. The first zone, which stretches out from the coast of South America, measures about 600,000 cubic kilometers -- roughly the volume of water that would fill 240 billion Olympic-sized pools. The second zone, off the coast of Central America, is roughly three times larger. The atlas serves as a reference for where ODZs lie today. The team hopes scientists can add to this atlas with continued measurements, to better track changes in these zones and predict how they may shift as the climate warms.
The team used a new method to process over 40 years' worth of ocean data, comprising nearly 15 million measurements taken by many research cruises and autonomous robots deployed across the tropical Pacific. The researchers compiled then analyzed this vast and fine-grained data to generate maps of oxygen-deficient zones at various depths, similar to the many slices of a three-dimensional scan. From these maps, the researchers estimated the total volume of the two major ODZs in the tropical Pacific, more precisely than previous efforts. The first zone, which stretches out from the coast of South America, measures about 600,000 cubic kilometers -- roughly the volume of water that would fill 240 billion Olympic-sized pools. The second zone, off the coast of Central America, is roughly three times larger. The atlas serves as a reference for where ODZs lie today. The team hopes scientists can add to this atlas with continued measurements, to better track changes in these zones and predict how they may shift as the climate warms.
Pool of knowledge (Score:5, Funny)
The first zone, which stretches out from the coast of South America, measures about 600,000 cubic kilometers -- roughly the volume of water that would fill 240 billion Olympic-sized pools.
I don't understand how much water is 600,000 cubic kilometers. Thanks for giving me something much easier to understand.
The second zone, off the coast of Central America, is roughly three times larger.
Or 720 billion Olympic-sized swimming pools, if you need an easy-to-grasp reference.
Re:Pool of knowledge (Score:5, Interesting)
Here's a world scale map of low oxygen zones, puts the MIT maps in context:
https://gcos.wmo.int/en/essent... [wmo.int]
Re: Pool of knowledge (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
We can do very simple research [wikipedia.org] Or we could measuring O2 levels in Cold water samples, O2 levels in warmer water samples... Take these results and see if temperature of the water is related to its O2 levels.
Re: (Score:2)
We tend to think in 1 or 2 dimensions.
If you say 5280 feet, we think 1 mile long.
if you say 5280 square feet, we can think of a large building or house.
If you say 5280 cubic feet, we might think of a 1 car garage volume.
But that garage seems small, because we tend to not think of 3 dimensions, so we will just see the 300 or so square foot building. not fully understanding its full potential for storage.
Olympic-sized pools are rather standardized and people often recognize it as a lot of water. Much like ho
Why there? (Score:2)
"These zones happen to lie in regions that miss passing ocean currents, which would normally replenish regions with oxygenated water." I guess you don't want to bother with fishing in most of the Sea of Cortez or anywhere off the coast of western Mexico and Peru, who knew?
https://news.mit.edu/sites/def... [mit.edu]
Re: Why there? (Score:2)