Sustained deoxygenation in global flowing waters under climate warming
- 1Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- 2College of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Abstract
Dissolved oxygen (DO), as a vital material sustaining aquatic ecosystems, has declined markedly in oceans, lakes, and coastal waters, yet unbiased understandings of changing DO concentrations in each individual river segment globally remain a challenge. Here, we estimate DO concentrations in 21,439 rivers globally between 1985 and 2023, based on Landsat observations and climatic data, and examine their patterns and trends. We find sustained deoxygenation in global rivers, at a rate of −0.045 mg liter −1 decade −1 , with 78.8% experiencing fluvial deoxygenation, driven mainly by oxygen solubility and temperature. Moreover, short-term heatwaves and dam impoundment exert non-neglecting influence on these changes. Future projections demonstrate that global fluvial DO concentrations decline by 1.1% ± 1.6% under SSP1–2.6 and 4.7% ± 2.7% under SSP5–8.5 throughout the 21st century. Our study provides an unbiased baseline for escalating deoxygenation in global fluvial ecosystems that underscores targeted measures to mitigate deoxygenation threats and protect ecosystem health.
Related
- Engineering MoOₓ-based catalysts and reaction conditions to balance deoxygenation and hydrogenation in glycerol conversion for stable propylene production
- Deoxygenation of amine N-oxides using gold nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes
- From Molecular Nickel Complex to Nanoparticles in N₂O Catalytic Electro-Deoxygenation
- From a molecular nickel complex to nanoparticles in N₂O catalytic electro-deoxygenation
- Reductive Deoxygenation of Benzylic Alcohols by Low-Valent Titanium Alkoxides
BibTeX
@article{guan2026sustained,
title = {{Sustained deoxygenation in global flowing waters under climate warming}},
author = {Qi Guan and Kun� Shi and Xuehui Pi},
journal = {Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aef3132},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aef3132},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sustained deoxygenation in global flowing waters under climate warming
AU - Qi Guan
AU - Kun� Shi
AU - Xuehui Pi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/15
JO - Science Advances
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aef3132
UR - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aef3132
AB - Dissolved oxygen (DO), as a vital material sustaining aquatic ecosystems, has declined markedly in oceans, lakes, and coastal waters, yet unbiased understandings of changing DO concentrations in each individual river segment globally remain a challenge. Here, we estimate DO concentrations in 21,439 rivers globally between 1985 and 2023, based on Landsat observations and climatic data, and examine their patterns and trends. We find sustained deoxygenation in global rivers, at a rate of −0.045 mg liter −1 decade −1 , with 78.8% experiencing fluvial deoxygenation, driven mainly by oxygen solubility and temperature. Moreover, short-term heatwaves and dam impoundment exert non-neglecting influence on these changes. Future projections demonstrate that global fluvial DO concentrations decline by 1.1% ± 1.6% under SSP1–2.6 and 4.7% ± 2.7% under SSP5–8.5 throughout the 21st century. Our study provides an unbiased baseline for escalating deoxygenation in global fluvial ecosystems that underscores targeted measures to mitigate deoxygenation threats and protect ecosystem health.
SN - 2375-2548
ER -