Abundant interactions and feedbacks between aquatic deoxygenation and the other planetary boundaries suggest “unsafe” levels of oxygen loss with far‐reaching impacts

Abstract

Oxygen is critical for nearly all life on Earth, including aquatic species that breathe dissolved oxygen in both freshwater and marine systems. The rapid, global, and anthropogenic loss of dissolved oxygen known as “aquatic deoxygenation” threatens life in these environments, the human communities that depend on them, and Earth system stability long‐term. Recognizing the important and increasingly widespread effects of aquatic deoxygenation, scientists have proposed that it be added to the planetary boundary framework, which is designed to capture the wider envelope of Earth‐system conditions that support a “safe operating space for humanity.” Here, we argue that the planetary boundary framework should include maintenance of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and thus dissolved oxygen conditions. We synthesize important, in some cases poorly understood, interactions and feedbacks that exist between deoxygenation and all nine of the established planetary boundaries. We find that aquatic deoxygenation interacts with and extensively modulates other boundary processes, including climate change, nutrient loading, biodiversity loss, and aerosol loading. Subsequently, we identify and describe four indicators that can be used to assess the status of aquatic deoxygenation and eventually define a global boundary for it within the framework. Given these interactions and current rates of oxygen loss, we argue that aquatic deoxygenation is approaching an “unsafe space,” with Earth‐system impacts that are likely to be irreversible in our lifetimes. We discuss the wider societal significance of this research, including applications to the framework, future analyses, policy‐making, and management.