Friday March 3, 2023
UConn Today —
While fish and most other water-dwelling creatures don’t breathe air, they do still need oxygen.
Normally, these animals get all the oxygen they need from the water. But sometimes bodies of water develop hypoxia – a state of low oxygen levels that can lead to “dead zones” that can kill massive numbers of fish and other organisms.
Hypoxia is a growing concern as some of the major causes of hypoxia are nutrient pollution from human fertilizers and other products, and warmer temperatures associated with climate change.
A recent multi-institution study including Ashley Helton from the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources found that hypoxia in rivers is significantly more common than previously thought.
The team, led by the University of Nevada, Reno looked at 125,000 locations in 93 countries, using data spanning from 1900 to 2018.