Jun 15, 2020
Image: Gulf of Oman - wikipedia.org
Far below the surface of the Arabian Sea, state-of-the-art robots probe the mysterious depths according to magellantimes.com. For the first time in almost 50 years, they are collecting data from this turbulent and dangerous part of the world. But what they found has shocked scientists – and might have dire consequences for the human race.
A strait of water that cuts through some of the most turbulent parts of the Middle East, the Gulf of Oman has borne witness to countless shocking events over the years. From the Iraqi invasion of Iran that left half a million civilians dead to the ongoing conflict in North-West Pakistan, it’s a region often ravaged by political turmoil and war.
Now, however, a new horror has reared its head in the Middle East – and it could have a lasting impact on mankind all around the world. In the warm waters of the Gulf of Oman, which borders Oman, Iran, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, scientists have discovered a strange anomaly beneath the waves.
Beginning in 2015 a team of scientists from England’s University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Sultan Qaboos University in Oman began conducting research in the region, which connects the Strait of Hormuz to the Arabian Sea. And even though the Gulf of Oman has plenty of features of scientific interest, this was the first such study conducted in the region in nearly 50 years.
Previously, factors such as political conflicts and piracy have prevented scientists from accessing much of the Gulf of Oman. However, recent advances in technology means things have changed in that regard. This time, the researchers were able to conduct a thorough survey of the region at little risk to themselves.
Led by the UEA’s Dr. Bastien Queste, the team used two special robots known as Seagliders to collect data from inaccessible parts of the region. A type of submarine operated by remote control, these gliders were able to scan the depths of the Gulf of Oman – and relay information back to the researchers.
Capable of exploring depths of more than 3,000 feet, the robots are similar in size to a small person. However, they are far more effective than human divers and can remain in the ocean for months at a time. Furthermore, they are able to travel for thousands of miles in a single mission.
For eight months, two Seagliders were tasked with collecting data across the Gulf of Oman. Using satellite communications, they were able to build up a detailed picture of oxygen levels in this part of the Arabian Sea. Moreover, they also studied the systems that transfer the vital element from place to place.
Terrifyingly, what they found could have serious implications for the future of planet Earth. Beneath the surface, they came across a vast area of ocean with one worrying characteristic – it contained barely any oxygen. And even though researchers had expected to find low levels of the element, they were still shocked by the scale of the problem.
Incredibly, the oxygen-free environment is thought to be roughly the same size as Florida: an area of approximately 65,750 square miles. And if these measurements are accurate, it means that the anomaly encompasses the vast majority of the Gulf of Oman, which clocks in at around 70,000 square miles. But what exactly does this tell us about the health of our oceans?
According to experts, it doesn’t look good. Beneath the surface, oxygen is vital to the fragile ecosystems which depend on it in order to survive. But now, scientists are discovering areas of the ocean where the element is scarcely present. Known as dead zones, they are devoid of any kind of life and occur all around the world.
“Of course all fish, marine plants and other animals need oxygen, so they can’t survive there,” Dr. Queste explained in a press release from the University of East Anglia in April 2018. He added, “It’s a real environmental problem, with dire consequences for humans too who rely on the oceans for food and employment.” And terrifyingly, it looks to be a global problem.
In waters off the coasts of North America, South America and Namibia – as well as in the Bay of Bengal – scientists have been declaring the existence of such dead zones. In fact, it’s thought that some 95,000 square miles of the Earth’s oceans could be affected. But the Arabian Sea contains the biggest such zone that has been observed to date.
Apparently, it’s not the first time that this particular dead zone has been discovered. According to reports, the anomaly was first detected as far back as the 1960s. Then, three decades later, researchers were able to conduct further studies in the area. However, in the years since, experts have been unable to learn anything more about the region.
Since the study in the 1990s, the geopolitical situation in the Gulf of Oman has grown worse, with attacks from Somali pirates increasing throughout the 2000s. Today, these armed criminals still pose a significant threat, as do the forces of the Iranian National Guard. And in such fraught circumstances, it has been difficult for researchers to gather the data they need.
Now, the Seagliders have allowed researchers to gather more data from the volatile Gulf of Oman. But what they have found could be a cause for concern. In a study published in May 2018 in the journal Advancing Space and Earth Science, the team outlined the differences between past and present observations.
The study reported, “These instruments measured a strong decrease of oxygen in the oxygen minimum zone compared to pre-1990 values.” And not only that, it appears as though the anomaly itself is getting bigger. “Our research shows that the situation is actually worse than feared – and that the area of dead zone is vast and growing,” Dr. Queste explained in the press release. “The ocean is suffocating.”
“The Arabian Sea is the largest and thickest dead zone in the world,” Dr. Queste continued in the press release. “But until now, no one really knew how bad the situation was because piracy and conflicts in the area have made it too dangerous to collect data.” Thanks to the Seagliders, we now know more about what’s lurking in the Gulf of Oman – but just how worried should we be?
According to scientists, dead zones occur naturally in the world’s oceans, usually at depths of between 650 and 2,600 feet. However, both climate change and other environmental factors are thought to be making them far worse. “They are a disaster waiting to happen,” warned Dr. Queste.
Apparently, as the Earth’s temperature rises, the water in the planet’s oceans is also becoming warmer. And when that happens, it becomes less able to retain oxygen. Additionally, pollutants such as sewage and fertilizers are making their way into the seas, exacerbating the problem even further.
According to experts, dead zones aren’t just a problem for marine life, either. In fact, Dr. Queste was quick to point out that this phenomenon could also have “dire consequences” for mankind. With our dependence on the world’s oceans as a source of employment and food, these lifeless areas could spell disaster in the near future.
Furthermore, Dr. Queste explained how the existence of dead zones might actually be worsening the effects of climate change. According to scientists, the gas nitrogen is processed differently in environments that are low on oxygen. And when that happens, it kickstarts a chemical reaction that could spell disaster for our fragile environment.
“Another problem is that when oxygen is absent, the chemical cycling of nitrogen – a key nutrient for plant growth – changes dramatically,” Dr. Queste explained in the press release. “Nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide is produced.” But while these risks have been understood for a number of years, it’s only recently that the scale of the problem in the Gulf of Oman has been revealed.
Before this recent study, researchers used digital tools in order to estimate how the dead zones of the world’s oceans might change over the years. And according to the 2018 study, these had previously predicted a worrying trend. “Computer simulations of ocean oxygen show a decrease in oxygen over the next century and growing oxygen minimum zones,” it read.
With previous studies, however, their scope has been limited. “These simulations have a difficult time representing small but very important factors such as eddies, which impact how oxygen is transported,” the study continued. “It is difficult to predict what will happen in the biggest of the world’s oxygen minimum zones.” But now, with the help of the data collected by the Seagliders, researchers have been able to build up a clearer picture of what is going on.
According to the scientific paper, this new approach has allowed the team to study more than just the effects of eddies on the Gulf of Oman’s dead zone. “We then combined the Seaglider data with a very high-resolution computer simulation to determine how oxygen is spread around the northwestern Arabian Sea throughout different seasons and the monsoons,” it read.
Interestingly, researchers found that the Gulf of Oman’s dead zone actually varies in depth between the seasons. And as such, it creates a further challenge for sea life in the region. Unable to survive inside the oxygen-poor environment, animals such as fish find themselves confined to a small area close to the surface.
But can anything be done to halt the suffocation of our oceans? According to Dr. Queste, his data will be instrumental in managing the area in the coming years. However, will that be enough to prevent an environmental disaster from occurring? Terrifyingly, we have little choice but to wait and see.
Meanwhile, the Arabian Sea isn’t the only place where the ocean’s oxygen levels have dropped terrifyingly low. Thousands of miles away, off the coast of the southern United States, another dead zone has been worrying experts for a number of years. And like its counterpart in the Gulf of Oman, it looks set to get even bigger.
For decades, researchers have been cataloguing a dead zone that appears annually near the coastline of Texas and Louisiana. And in 2018, they estimated that the anomaly covered approximately 2,500 square miles. However, by the summer of 2019, it was predicted to grow to almost four times that size.
Here, the dead zone is caused by an interesting phenomenon that begins with the mighty Mississippi River. According to experts, more than 40 percent of the nation’s land ultimately drains into this vast basin. And along the way, the water picks up pollutants in the ground such as phosphorus and nitrogen.
Ultimately, this water and all of its pollutants are dumped out into the Gulf of Mexico. And there, the phosphorus and nitrogen encourage algae to form on the surface. After a while, these blooms die out and sink to the lower levels of the ocean, where they are eventually consumed by bacteria. And in the process, they use up a lot of oxygen in an environment where the resource is already scarce.
As a result, the organisms that exist at the deeper levels of the ocean begin to suffocate. And while some creatures, such as crabs or larger fish, are able to swim away in search of more oxygen-rich waters, many cannot. For those left behind, tragically, the process means almost certain death.
According to experts, this dead zone typically forms around springtime, when the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are at their calmest. Apparently, this means that the fresh water from the Mississippi and the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean do not mix as much as they do in the winter months. And as a result, the deeper levels are not regularly rejuvenated with more oxygen-rich water from above.
Moreover, experts believe that higher temperatures also exacerbate the situation, with warmer water remaining on the surface. As summer turns to fall, the waters cool, and the layers begin to mix once more – effectively disrupting the dead zone. And at this time of year, weather conditions such as hurricanes can also contribute to its dispersal.
In 2019 boffins at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (N.O.A.A.) predicted that the Gulf of Mexico dead zone would be much larger than normal; only once since the 1980s would it have been bigger. And the reason why, it seems, could be down to the above-average rainfall that plagued the region that winter and spring. As well as increasing the amount of run-off making its way to the ocean, scientists believe, the weather also affected agricultural practices in the area.
Apparently, the weather was so bad in spring 2019 that crops such as soybean and corn remained unplanted. And as a result, all of the fertilizer that farmers had spread in preparation simply flowed straight into the river. Ultimately, it reached the Atlantic Ocean, where it contributed to the growing dead zone.
For the fishermen who ply their trade in the Gulf of Mexico, the dead zone is a major concern. As marine life attempts to flee the suffocating waters, they are forced to travel farther and farther from home in search of their catch. In fact, N.O.A.A. experts believe that the phenomenon currently costs the industry around $82 million every year.
Like the Gulf of Oman dead zone, experts claim, this anomaly could well get even worse as temperatures around the world continue to rise. Meanwhile, researchers have recommended tackling the problem at the source. Louisiana State University’s Eugene Turner suggested farming practices such as reducing fertilizer and rotating crops, for example, could help ease the situation off the American coast.
But while this may be a solution, the cost of these practices has proved prohibitive for some farmers. And according to Don Parrish of the America Farm Bureau Federation, there is still much to be done. “Scientifically we can reduce the size,” he told National Geographic magazine in 2019, “but whether you can get there politically, that’s still a work in progress.”
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