Oxygen depletion worse than record year 2023

The first report on oxygen depletion of the year by DCE – National Centre for Environment and Energy – indicates a dire situation for marine life. In late August, an area as large as the island of Funen in the inner Danish waters was affected, three times larger than the same period in 2023. Last year marked the worst oxygen depletion in 21 years. Early onset of oxygen depletion this year and current weather patterns, including a hot late summer, are unfavorable for sea plants, fish, and benthic animals. Patches of severe oxygen depletion have already resulted in toxic hydrogen sulfide release and observed deaths of sea life in Thisted Bredning and Roskilde Fjord. Warm temperatures, coupled with nitrogen from fields, create ideal conditions for algae growth that depletes oxygen. Excessive rainfall in 2024 has also increased nutrient runoff from land into the sea, stimulating algae growth and oxygen consumption.