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Published online 14 November 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.1230
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Marine dead zones set to expand rapidly
Rising carbon dioxide levels will make oceans more hostile to life.
Rising levels of carbon dioxide could increase the volume of oxygen-depleted 'dead zones' in tropical oceans by as much as 50% before the end of the century — with dire consequences for the health of ecosystems in some of the world's most productive fishing grounds.
At depths between several tens and hundreds of metres, large parts of the tropical oceans are poorly supplied with dissolved oxygen, and are therefore hostile to most marine life.
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The end Permian extinction event saw the loss of nearly 95% of all the species on Earth at that time due to a runaway greenhouse effect caused by the Siberian traps flood basalt eruption. Warmer waters can't hold as much oxygen as cold, which would help explain the CO2 and possible global warming connection.