New research found 21% of the global ocean experienced a reduction in the depth of its photic zones, home to 90% of all marine life.
New research found 21% of the global ocean experienced a reduction in the depth of its photic zones, home to 90% of all marine life.
More than one-fifth of the global ocean – an area spanning more than 75million sq km – has been the subject of ocean darkening over the past two decades, according to new research.
Ocean darkening occurs when changes in the optical properties of the ocean reduce the depth of its photic zones, home to 90% of all marine life and places where sunlight and moonlight drive ecological interactions.
For the new study, published in Global Change Biology, researchers used a combination of satellite data and numerical modelling to analyse annual changes in the depth of photic zones all over the planet.
Read more at University of Plymouth
Image: A world map showing changes in global photic zones between 2003 and 2022. Reds indicate regions where the oceans are getting darker, while blues indicate regions where oceans are getting lighter and white indicates regions where there was no statistically significant change over the period. (Credit: University of Plymouth)
